Golden Berries
by vampireXgirl13X
Summary: Serenity Anderson had the wits knocked out of her when she found out her dear grandfather had passed. With his mansion left to her and her cousin, Mika, she'll find that even more shocking things are coming her way. Will she be able to adjust to all of this change? JamesXOC, MikaXSam; rated M for adult situations (I mean, come on, it's Seduce Me; of course it's rated M)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I let out a breath as I shouldered my bag, untucking my ebony hair from under the strap. Giving my professor a wave, I said, "See ya, Charles. You have a good weekend with your wife, yeah?" I added with a grin. He waved back and nodded an affirmative before I made it out the door. Again, I let out a breath. I had been feeling antsy lately, and I didn't like it. It was like something was crawling under my skin, tiny sparks of electricity that didn't go away. Grandpa had even noticed.

Shaking my head, I shook the feeling off as best as I could. "I'll check the augaries when I'm home... Grandpa can help, his energy always makes it go better," I murmured, getting into my car.

Before I could even turn the ignition, my phone began vibrating and ringing, the familiar tune of 'Megitsune' filling my silver Beetle. I dug it out of my pocket and quirked my brow at the caller ID. "Why would Aunt Laura be calling...?"

Never the less, I answered. "Hi Auntie; what's up? You hardly ever call," I teased lightly.

She was quiet on the other end, but small sniffles and harsh breathing could be heard. I immediately tensed up. "Auntie? What is it? What happened? Is Mika okay?!"

"N-no, sweetie, it's not Mika..." she finally said, her voice a bit raw. "Are you sitting down, dear...?"

"Yeah, I'm still in the parking lot on campus in my car; Auntie, what's going on? You're starting to scare me," I replied, my voice shaking almost as badly as my hands.

"Oh honey... your grandfather... he's passed away."

At that moment, the tingling under my skin stopped and my entire body froze. My light green eyes filled with tears, and my heart broke into a million pieces. "What?" I choked out.

"H-he just... fell while he was volunteering at the hospital," Aunt Laura went on. "They say it was a heart attack..."

I tried to control my breathing; the magic coursing in my blood rushed in my ears and I didn't want to blow up anything. "I-I see... U-uhm, does Mika know...?"

"We just called the school and we're about to pick her up," she answered. After a moment, she asked, "Do you need your uncle and I to come and get you? We don't want you to get into an accident driving in the state you're in."

I closed my eyes and let my tears fall freely. "N-no, I'll be okay..."

In the background, I heard my Uncle David say, "Tell her about the funeral."

"Huh? Funeral?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, yes... Your uncle wants to have the funeral later this evening..." Aunt Laura sounded a bit miffed, and I didn't blame her. I was a bit mad myself.

"Already?! But... what about a wake? A memorial? What about the house? Will I need to move somewhere else?"

I was panicking terribly. I had lived with Grandpa Anderson since I was twelve; my parents had passed away in a plane crash on their way to India. They had stipulated in their wills that I was to go and live with him in his mansion. He had helped me heal, and I had helped him. After all, aside from my Uncle David, my dad was his only other child. And since Uncle David wasn't on good terms with Grandpa... My dad was basically the only child who acted like they loved him.

"Don't you worry, Serenity, you won't have to move," Aunt Laura answered calmly. She murmured to Uncle David for a bit, apparently covering the phone so I wouldn't hear. When she got back on, she sighed. "We'll see you at the funeral, Serenity. It is scheduled for six at the cemetery a few minutes away from the mansion."

"Y-yeah... okay..." I mumbled. I hung up and dropped my phone onto the passenger seat. After just sitting there in silence for a moment, I let out a wail and proceeded to sob, placing my head in my hands. I don't know how long I sat there, just crying, but I eventually calmed down enough where I would be able to drive.

Wiping my face, I turned my key and let the low rumble roll through me. Gripping the wheel, I pulled out of the parking spot I'd claimed and drove home in a half-daze. When I pulled up to the mansion that I'd been calling home for a little over eight years, I felt my throat close up in grief.

 _It won't be the same anymore_ , I thought to myself, getting out and heading to unlock the door. Stepping inside, I looked around and felt unnerved by how... empty it truly felt now. Far too quiet. None of Grandpa's light humming or steady footsteps, no smell of pie baking in the kitchen.

I shivered, making my way upstairs to my room. Opening my closet, I mindlessly dug out a feminine black dress that Grandpa had once said made me look like a doll. Quickly getting undressed and slipping it on, I went to my vanity and winced at my reflection. My wavy hair was bedraggled, my light green eyes bloodshot; even my skin seemed paler and even sallow-looking.

I sighed, then picked up my brush to tame the disaster that was my hair. I glimpsed at my left arm, allowing myself a rueful smile. Uncle David is probably going to have a small seizure when he sees this, she thought with a hollow chuckle. My newly completed tattoo sleeve was still healing from my final appointment at the parlor three weeks ago. Swirling tentacles, Latin phrases, waves, flowers, feathers, and Celtic knots combined together to create not just a piece of art, but a very strong protection and focusing spell. However, the one detail that stood out the most was the small, adorable teddy bear with a heart on its stomach at my inner wrist.

Shaking my head clear, I went back to mindlessly getting ready for my grandfather's funeral. I frowned, biting my lip as I got into my car. I hope Mika is okay... I'll see if she'd like to spend the weekend with me, I mused. I know she loved Grandpa as much as I did and would probably rather be away from Uncle David for a couple days...

Pulling into the cemetery, I frowned when rain began to fall. I smirked a little, grabbing the umbrella I always stashed in my glove compartment. It was poetic, almost... As if Mother Earth was weeping alongside us at his loss. I took comfort in that thought; if anyone deserved Her respect, it was my Grandpa.

I walked towards the small-ish gathering of black-clad mourners, looking for my only cousin. When I spotted her, I quickened my pace and stepped up beside her. "Hey," I murmured, looking down at her.

Mika seemed to come out of a daze and looked up at me, blinking a couple times before registering who I was. Giving me a small, sad smile, she replied, "Hi Serenity..."

My aunt and uncle finally realized I was there and looked at me. "Hello, dear," my aunt greeted quietly.

"Hi Auntie," I replied. I glanced behind her and gave my uncle a small smile. "Hi Uncle David..."

He gave me a stiff nod, his gaze flickering between my sleeve and my face. I gave him a measured look, raising my eyebrow. _Don't even say a word, uncle_ , I thought to myself. _Not right now. Later, if you're so keen on it, but not now._

He seemed to understand what I was saying with my eyes, sighing a bit and shaking his head. "Let's just get this over with..."

Even if he hadn't been on the best of terms with Grandpa, I could tell part of him was hurting just as badly as Mika and I were. I turned my head as the preacher began the service, and lost myself in thought. Halfway through the man's droning, I felt a cold had take my own. My lips trembled and I gave the hand a squeeze, glancing down at Mika in understanding.

We held hands for the rest of the service, even walking together to place our handfuls of dirt into the grave. However, as I tossed mine in, I cast a preservation spell, so that his body would never have to suffer the indignity of rotting away into dust. Since we were the last two to walk up to the grave, the undertaker began to refill the hole.

As he did so, Mika and I looked at our grandfather's headstone; in the background, I could hear everyone leaving. 'Harold Anderson - Forever in our Hearts', it said. I frowned at the slab of plain marble. "...it's too simple," I muttered, gripping Mika's hand a bit tighter.

I heard her nod. "Yeah... there should be toys on it, more... whimsy," she whispered.

We were interrupted as a man with a briefcase walked up to the two of us, my aunt and uncle coming over as well. He cleared his throat, and began pulling out a few documents.

"Hello; you all have my deepest condolences. I was Mr. Anderson's lawyer," he greeted. Clearing his throat, he looked down at the topmost sheet of paper he held. "And now, I shall read Harold Anderson's last will and testament."

I furrowed my brow; Grandpa had never mentioned a will to me before at all.

I listened as the lawyer listed off items that he had left to charities and to us, his family. For my aunt, Grandpa had left her some of his cook books. For my uncle, he had left him some of his more valuable goods, like a few paintings and the family grandfather clock that my grandfather's grandfather had gifted him.

Finally, the lawyer looked at Mika and I. "And to my dearest granddaughters, I give my estate. All the furniture and hitherto unclaimed decor shall also be given to my granddaughters."

I was surprised; I figured he may have left the mansion to me since I had lived there for so long, but I had to admit to being a bit shocked that he had added Mika as well. However, thinking on it more, I wasn't surprised after all. At least I wouldn't be alone, and neither would she. Mika would have room to breathe and someone to look after her in the same way he did, and I wouldn't have to deal with being lonely and cold in an empty mansion.

"...What?" Mika asked, her eyes wide. She glanced up at me and I shrugged, shaking my head at her silent question.

"I had no idea," I muttered to her.

"So he passed the family estate to the girls... Why am I not surprised?" drawled my uncle. I turned to him and shot him a warning glare. The muscles in his jaw clenched, but he seemed to back off a bit. He knew not to piss me off; uncle or not, I did not take kindly to his superiority complex, and he knew that.

He turned his attention back to the lawyer. "Well, did he say anything about what will become of the CEO and Chairman position at Anderson Toys Company?"

The lawyer shook his head. "No. It is presumed that the Vice Chairman will succeed the position."

"Heh... even to the bitter end he wouldn't give in. What a stubborn old man," Uncle David bit out.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Aunt Laura beat me to it. "David!" she whispered harshly, looking at Mika and I. I glared at him once more, this time more harshly.

He scoffed quietly, then looked at his wife. "About the estate... should we send Mika to live with Serenity so she can get used to the building? It'll be a good place for her to live after high school."

Aunt Laura glanced at me before answering. "Are you sure we should?" Looking at me again, she asked, "Would you be alright with that, honey?"

I nodded. "Yes... It already feels too... empty in there," I confessed. Mika gave my hand a squeeze, and I shot her a thankful smile.

"Why not? This will be a good experience for her. And Serenity can watch over her and keep her company; and also help her apply for the college." Uncle David shot me a look that warned me that I'd better do what he said, at least this time.

I had no problems with this request; I was planning on doing all of that already. "If she wants me to, I can help her," I said.

Aunt Laura looked at Mika, who had thus far remained silent. "Honey, what do you think?"

My younger cousin looked up at me, almost seeming to have X-ray vision. After a moment, she looked back at her parents. "I'll be okay with that. I don't want Serenity to be lonely."

My heart warmed at her words, feeling so much better already. Truthfully, Mika felt more like a younger sister than a cousin sometimes. I always looked after her and now, it seemed, she was going to return the favor by taking care of me when I needed it most.

"Well, that seems to be it." Uncle David's voice snapped me out of my pleasant reverie. He looked at me with a level gaze. "We'll be taking our leave now; I'm sure both of you young heiresses need time to adjust."

I felt my magic tickle my fingertip as I openly glared at him, livid. "Not one more word, uncle," I said calmly. "If you say anything more, I will not be held responsible for what my reaction will be. Go. I'll pick her up from school tomorrow and bring her to grab her things, then I'll bring her home."

He returned my glare, but gave in and turned with a 'hmph,' walking back to his car. I relaxed a bit and Mika gave me a one-armed hug as Aunt Laura frowned at us.

"I'm sorry, dears; I don't know what his problem is anymore," she confessed, sounding far too worn out. Looking her over more carefully, I could detect wrinkles and lines that hadn't been on her face the last time I had really looked at her.

I let go of Mika and hugged my aunt close, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be okay, Auntie; he doesn't bother me anymore. I'm twenty years old, gosh darn it, and he needs to learn that not everyone is going to just do what he tells them or put up with his attitude."

I pulled back a bit, looking her in the eyes. "Auntie, if you ever need to get away from the stress... the mansion is always open for you," I said quietly, hoping to convey the seriousness of my words.

She seemed to understand what I was saying as she gave me a small smile and nodded. "Thank you, dear..."

I bid goodbye to both of them and walked back to my Beetle. Getting in, I began to mentally go over what I needed to get ready for Mika's arrival tomorrow. I didn't have any classes until half past noon, so I had the whole morning to get a room set up for her.

With that plan all set, I focused on getting back home, my stomach grumbling from the lack of dinner. As I idly wondered what leftovers were available in the fridge, I couldn't help but feel like something more was going to happen. And I just couldn't shake it.

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AN: A new story that just spewed out of me with no control. I know I have other fics that are still in progress; however, I am abandoning my older ones. I have no inspiration for them anymore, nor can I even dredge up the energy to return to them. At least, for now. I may finish my Ouran Host Club fic, but my Black Butler fic is now officially done with. Maybe a few years from now I'll get back to it, but not now.

I hope you all enjoy this new story, though. Seduce Me is one of my all-time favorite otome games, and Michaela Laws is an amazing writer. Definitely go and get Seduce Me 2: The Demon War if you haven't already (I gotta wait till my tax return comes tho, ughhh). From the looks of the demo, though, the second game is going to be EPIC.

~Chrissy )O(


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I got back home, I zoomed into the kitchen and began to reheat some of the leftover chilli. As the microwave hummed, my phone began to ring. I smiled at the caller ID; another girl talk conference call was underway, it seemed.

Answering it, I immediately said, "Okay, so who added me in? Was it my favorite Italian, the smartest blonde I know, or my dear little cousin?" I enjoyed teasing Suzu and Naomi alongside Mika; they were good friends to my dear cousin, and thus I considered them good friends as well.

"Psh, your first guess!" answered Suzu; I could almost picture her smirking.

I heard Naomi and Mika laughing as I chuckled. The microwave went off, and I carefully removed the hot bowl from inside. "So, what's this conference talk for?" I asked, stirring my dinner.

The other three got quiet before Naomi answered. "Mika told us what happened... Suzu and I want to make sure you were okay, too," she said kindly.

I bittersweet smile formed on my lips. "Thank you, girls... You're too good to us." After taking a bite of chilli and swallowing, I sighed. "As for whether I'm okay... I'm hanging on. I got most of it out of me when I found out from Auntie... But I may or may not raid the liquor cabinet later tonight."

Suzu hummed in agreement. "I don't blame you... just don't have too much."

Naomi sighed. "While I wouldn't normally condone underage drinking... I won't be hard on you about this. But I agree with Suzu, don't have too much."

Mika chuckled a little. "Yeah; you still have a class tomorrow, Serenity. While you've told me your sculpting professor is laid back, I don't think she'd take kindly to you falling asleep on top of your project."

"Hahaha, very funny," I drawled, rolling my eyes as I heard the other two start laughing. "By the way, I'm just eating dinner now, so don't mind me if all you hear is chewing or silence from my end for a little bit."

We kept talking until around midnight, at which point Naomi and I both agreed that the lot of us needed to go to bed; after all, they needed to be up early for school, and I needed to get Mika's room ready.

I stripped out of my dress and undergarments before plopping down nude on my bed. I turned over and lifted the soft blankets over me, nuzzling into them. It took a little while, but I finally drifted off to sleep, my mind only focusing on having everything ready tomorrow.

Promptly at eight AM, my alarm rang high and sure through the morning air. Groaning, I rolled over and smashed the off button on my clock. Turning to lay on my back and stretch my limbs, I sighed, trying to wake myself up.

Finally rising from my bed, I pulled on a pair of lounge pants with penguins on them and a sports bra. Stretching once I was 'dressed', I yawned and began to head to the kitchen. Today was going to be a long day.

The hours seemed to go by far too quickly as I prepared Mika's room; it was a couple doors down from mine. Enough space to ensure both my privacy and hers, while also being close enough where she could get me quickly if I was needed. Once it chimed high noon, I hurried to get fully dressed and headed out the door.

When I arrived on campus, a couple of people who knew who I was walked by and gave their sympathies over losing Grandpa. Thanking them with a small, sad smile, I made my way to class. Once there, Linda, my professor, greeted me with a sympathetic smile.

"Hey Serenity; are you okay?" she asked kindly.

"I'm... managing," I said, not wanting to burden her with my troubles.

"Okay; but if you feel like you need to leave class early, don't worry about it, alright?" she said. "I understand; I lost my granddad a few years ago and still feel the sting."

I bit my lip to keep my emotions in check, giving her a small hug. "Thanks, Linda..."

Class went by for two hours, and I had to admit that the act of molding and shaping clay relaxed me and numbed me to everything in the outside world. Unfortunately, I ended up making a familiar teddy bear with the heart on its stomach. The people closest to me gave me sympathetic glances, but I ignored them. Linda gave me a reassuring shoulder squeeze as she walked past, and it helped a little.

When she called the class to a close, she helped us place our finished products in the kiln. I was the last one in line, and she led me over to her private kiln, opening it up and waving me on. At my surprised expression, she sighed quietly, lightly ruffling my hair.

"That sculpture is special. It needs the proper respect it deserves; putting it by itself in my best kiln is the least I can do," she said. Linda paused, then grinned. "A couple of the others made their favorite Anderson toy as well."

I glanced at her in shock as my eyes began to water. I blinked away my tears, clearing my throat. "O-oh... that was very kind of them."

Linda gave me a hug, which I returned. "Your classmates are here for you just like I and the rest of your professors are; you're not alone, kiddo."

I silently thanked her with a small squeeze before heading out the door. I lightly jogged to my Beetle, got in, and drove to my old high school to pick up Mika. On the way there, I hooked up the bluetooth on my phone and played some relaxing Alan Walker music. I let out a sigh as the gentle electronic tunes washed through my ears.

As I pulled up in front of the school, I saw Mika standing with Suzu and Naomi, along with Mrs. Phillips. She cut her hair; it looks nice, I idly thought to myself. I rolled down my window and gave my old homeroom teacher a grin.

"Hi Mrs. Phillips; how've you been?"

She gave me a small smile. "I've been well. I heard what happened; please accept my deepest condolences."

I nodded, my eyes starting to sting again with unshed tears. "Thank you." I then gave a grin to Suzu and Naomi as Mika got into the passenger seat. "Hey girls."

They returned my greeting and then I gave them a wave goodbye, rolling my window up and turning to Mika. "Alright, kiddo; did you pack everything you wanted to bring?"

She nodded, giving me a small smile. "Yeah; only a few bags full. You know I go for a more minimalist approach to my bedroom decor," she added with a chuckle.

I let out a small laugh, stopping at a red light. I glanced over at her, then did a double take. "Hey kiddo, did Lisette hit you or something? You have a small bruise on your cheek..."

Mika jumped a bit, then shook her head. "No, Lisette didn't hit me. I'm just clumsy, is all," she mumbled, not meeting my gaze.

I pursed my lips together in a thin line. I wanted so badly to ask if her dad had done it, but I could tell she didn't want to talk about it. I sighed. "Alright. But if you wanna talk, I'll listen, yeah?"

Mika gave me a small nod, and I relaxed a little. "Alright, let's go get your stuff. I hope you don't mind, but I really am not up to dealing with your dad so soon. I'm still mad at him for talking crap about Grandpa."

Mika nodded, looking a bit mad herself. "Yeah, I don't blame you." After pausing for a moment, she gave me a sheepish grin. "I may have lashed out at him last night when we got home over that..."

I let out a laugh, trying to control myself as I kept my eyes on the road. "Oh man, I would've loved to see that! You go, girl!" I whooped. "I'm glad you finally bit back at him after so long. Remember, no one is the boss of you except for yourself. With the exception of when you get a job and have an actual boss," I added with a teasing wink.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she relaxed into her seat. A few moments later, we pulled up to her house. As she went in to grab her things, I closed my eyes and let out a breath. I wouldn't have to deal with being alone again, and I was beyond relieved. "Thank you, Grandpa," I murmured under my breath.

Mika came out ten minutes later with all of her things, and I popped my trunk open so she could toss them in. As she closed it back up, I started up the engine and waited for her to get in. When she did, I noticed her expression and began to worry.

"Hey, you okay, kiddo?" I asked.

She jumped a bit, startled. "O-oh, yeah, I'm fine; just lost in thought."

I sighed. _She'll talk to me when she wants to,_ I reminded myself.

The drive to the mansion was quiet, save for the sound of my music coming through the speakers. I saw Mika tap her foot to the beat of a few of the songs, and I let a near-silent chuckle leave my lips. Her and I had mostly different music tastes, but there were a few genres that appealed to the both of us.

As we pulled into the mansion driveway, I couldn't help but feel like something was off. Not wanting to alert or panic Mika, I readied myself for the worst. As we carried her bags to the front door, I gave her a smile. "Welcome home, kiddo."

I unlocked the door and opened it, then promptly dropped the bag I was holding. Mika did the same, her bags making a matching pair of 'thunks' on the floor. The doors closed behind us and I was frozen for a few seconds before letting out a small screech.

"Oh my gods!"

On the floor in fornt of us were five bleeding, unconscious men. Mika was just as shocked as I was, and looked between the men and I in confusion. "I take it you don't know them?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"Nuh uh," I said, not taking my eyes off of them. After a moment, I walked towards them, kneeling down carefully. Setting myself next to the redhead in the vest, I lightly placed my fingers on his neck. "Well, this one is still alive, so the others must be as well," I reasoned, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Mika walked a bit closer as well. Furrowing her brow, she tried waking them. "Who are you guys?!" Silence; I moved towards the rest of them, checking their pulses as well. When I got to the eldest looking man, she said, "We'll call the police!"

Again, silence. I was beginning to worry; we both needed answers as to how they got here and why the hell they were bleeding all over the nice floor. However, the boy with messy brown hair shot up and grabbed Mika.

"Woman, you're going to let me kiss you," he all but ordered.

I felt my anger and magic rise to the surface, but became shocked when Mika just agreed. My jaw dropped, and before I could stop him, he leaned in and kissed her. Growling, I moved to get up, but a gentle and firm hand stopped me. Turning, I met whiskey gold eyes that gazed at me from behind a pair of glasses.

He shook his head slightly at me, then stood, looking at the green-clad pervert who was practically making out with my cousin. "Sam, stop it."

When Sam didn't cease, the dark haired man frowned. "I said stop. Now," he added firmly.

Same detached from my cousin, grumbling. "Fine."

When he stepped away from Mika, I went over to her, my hands fluttering all over the place as I made sure she was okay. She seemed weary and she kept blinking slowly, as if she were waking up from a long sleep. I growled once more and turned to glare at the two men.

"What is wrong with her?" I hissed.

The bespectacled man ran his hand through his hair, giving me an apologetic smile. "Please forgive my brother... He's a bit reckless."

"At least I feel a hell of a lot better than you right now," retorted Sam.

His brother gave him a stern look. "Because you used your abilities on her."

The first man I had looked over grunted and rose, steadying himself as he stood. "Ugh... Sam, you're such a reckless brute. Taking advantage of a beautiful young woman like her."

Sam glared at him in full. "Shut your pretty boy mouth before I rip it off your pretty boy face."

The youngest looking boy sat up, rubbing his head and rustling his curly black hair. "Sheesh, you guys, can we not fight right now? Not all of us are in the best state."

The redhead sighed, nodding. "I guess you're right, Matthew."

The eldest crossed his arms, looking like a stern parent. "I agree."

The remaining boy sat up as well, nodding his assent. I looked between all of them as they began to chat with one another, looking at each other's wounds and checking to make sure each of them was okay. My eye twitched in irritation, and I felt Mika stiffen in annoyance as well. Glancing at her, she had a bright blush painted across her face.

I felt bad for her; I mean, she got pounced on by a brutish, albeit handsome, stranger. She then seemed to get angrier, and opened her mouth. "Wh-wha...?"

The redhead looked over at us, his gaze landing on her. A slow, sensual smirk formed on his lips. "Hm? Did you say something, beautiful?"

And then, I practically exploded. "WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?! HOW ARE YOU IN OUR HOUSE?! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALL INJURED?! AND CHRIST ON A CROSS, WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU," I added, pointing at Sam, "KISS MY COUSIN OUT OF THE BLUE?!"

At the reminder, Mika tensed up before marching up to him and punching him in the chest. He coughed a bit before glaring at her. "Ouch! What's your problem?!"

"What's your problem?! You can't just go around forcing people to kiss you like that! Are you some kind of pervert?" she yelled in retaliation.

Sam looked offended, taking a step back and glaring at her even harder. "Pervert?! It was only a kiss!"

"It might mean nothing to you, but it means a lot to me!" she bit back, her blush growing darker. Oh no... don't tell me...

"What? Was it your first kiss?" he asked, raising a brow carelessly.

Mika didn't answer him, but hit him again, this time harder. My jaw dropped, and I felt my face pale in anger. I was about to go and kick his ass myself, but his older brother placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I shot him a glare in protest, but brought my attention back to Sam as he spoke.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?!" he cried, rubbing his stomach.

Mika shook in rage. "I know first kisses aren't exactly amazing and full of sparkles and something out of a fairytale... but I at least expected it to be more than just something forced!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "So it _was_ your first kiss. Stop making such a big deal out of it."

"Are you asking to get punched again? Or worse, asking me to sic my cousin on you?" she asked.

Sam shot me a glance, taking in my rage-filled air before looking back at her with a blaise expression. "Well, what do you want me to do? It's not like I can somehow take it back."

Mika grumbled, and even I had to admit he was right on that point. With a sigh, she seemed to calm down a bit. "You should at least apologize. That would suffice."

Sam sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. He muttered something I couldn't quite hear under his breath, then looked at Mika. Sighing once more, he said, "Okay, fine... I'm sorry."

He seemed earnest enough, but Mika wanted a bit more than that. "Sorry about what?" she prompted.

He relaxed his expression and his emerald eyes bore into hers. "I'm sorry for kissing you like that. I went too far." Pausing, he ran his fingers through his hair yet again, something that I was beginning to realize was a nervous habit. "I didn't mean for it to turn out that way. It's just... I act on impulse, okay? It's difficult to control myself and... Ugh, what am I saying?"

I let myself relax as Mika nodded, her blush receding somewhat. "That's okay; I get what you're trying to say. Apology accepted, and thank you."

Sam seemed surprised, but nodded, looking at the floor. "Yeah... no problem."

I gave him a level glare. "Don't think about pulling that kinda crap again, boy. Fair warning: both she and I know taekwando," I said sternly, crossing my arms.

He gave me a look, rolling his eyes. "Tch..."

Nodding to myself, I moved out of the eldest's hold and looked at all of them. "Now, pardon my French, but what the bloody fuck are you all doing in our house?"

Once more, the eldest stepped closer to me. "Miss, please forgive our intrusion," he said politely. "We didn't know this abode belonged to anyone, nor did we have the time to take that into consideration..."

"What do you mean? You can't just go barging into people's houses!" I said incredulously. "It's illegal for one, and also very rude!"

"We wouldn't have had to if we weren't as wounded as we are currently," he calmly replied. "We just escaped a deadly fight that could have ended our lives." He smiled a little. "Luckily for us, your home was nearby and the windows were unlocked, so we quickly came inside."

My jaw dropped. "I could've sworn I locked the windows this morning..." I murmured, bringing a finger to my lips and lightly biting the knuckle.

Mika sighed in acceptance. "I guess that explains why you're all so hurt, but not why he kissed me!" she grumbled, her blush still present. "He had absolutely no right to do that."

The redhead chuckled slyly, sidling up to her. "Well, my lovely flustered lady, it's hard to explain, truly... We're not exactly... normal."

I sharpened my gaze, the fingers on my left hand twitching as magic began to spark on my fingertips. "What are you and how did you get past the wards?" I asked, my tone serious as the plague.

Mika gave me a confused glance at the word 'wards,' but seemingly paid me no mind as she looked at them. "What, are you guys demons or something?" she asked jokingly.

It was silent for a moment, then I cursed under my breath before sighing. Placing my hands on my hips, I raised a brow at them. "Incubi, I'm guessing?" I asked.

Mika looked at me, gobsmacked, as the boys seemed surprised. At all of their questioning gazes, I shrugged. "Hey, I might not look like much, but I know magic and things. Our grandfather taught me. Now, answer my question."

Mika looked even more surprised at that, and the eldest brother nodded. "You are correct, Miss. We're incubi; I apologize for Sam taking some of your cousin's sexual energy."

I sighed, closing my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It's fine... I suppose I can't blame him, considering your injuries and such..."

Mika had thus far been silent, looking between all of our faces as if waiting for one of us to say that it was all a joke. Finally, she spoke. "Uh, I hate to break it to you guys, but that stuff isn't real. It's all in storybooks and stuff. Incubuses and magic don't exist."

I furrowed my brow, a little hurt that she didn't believe me at least. However, I could understand why. "It is real; and Mika, the correct plural form is 'incubi'," I added. I saw James send me a grateful smile at my correction, and I nodded slightly.

"Prove it," she challenged.

I sighed, then lifted my left hand. Muttering a simple spell, a ball of light tinted with plum energy rose from my hand. It was the size of a softball, and Mika's eyes widened into saucers. However, before I could say anything, she promptly fell to the floor in a dead faint.

I quickly diminished the spell and rushed over to her, Sam coming to aid me as well. "Shit, she fainted," he muttered.

I sighed, then looked up at the boys. "You can explain how you all got her after she wakes up so she can hear it as well," I said, taking charge. "You, Sam," I added, looking at him. "Carry her to her room upstairs. It's on the right side of the stairs and three doors down on the left."

He looked like he was about to protest, but I cut him off. "Hey, my house, my rules. Now get going. I don't want any of that blood making its way over here and getting all over her. Now scoot, buster."

Grumbling, he picked Mika up princess style and did as I asked. Rising, I looked at the other boys and crossed my arms. "What are your names?"

The eldest stepped forward. "Forgive us; where are our manners? I'm James, and these are my brothers: Sam, of course, Erik, Matthew, and Damien." He pointed to each of his other brothers as he spoke, and I nodded.

"A pleasure. I'm Serenity; my cousin is Mika," I replied in turn, my tone just as polite. "Now, as for the rest of you, you all need some energy so you may heal, yes?" I asked. At their tentative nods, I sighed, fingering a strand of my wavy hair. "Alright, how about this: I will let the four of you take some energy from me so you don't collapse like Mika did. However," I added, narrowing my eyes, "no kissing my lips, capiche? I'm not going to have my first kiss stolen, either."

James and his brothers seemed surprised, but happily so. "Sure thing!" answered Matthew, his tone chipper. He stepped forward first, taking my hands and looking up at me earnestly. "I like your name by the way; it's really pretty!"

I couldn't help but grin even as I felt his enthrallment work its way through my system. "Thank you; my mother picked it for me, Heaven rest her soul."

After a few moments, he let me go and took a deep breath. "Ahh, that's loads better!"

Erik came next, wrapping one arm around my waist while his free hand rested on my cheek. "You're far too generous, my dearest lady," he said smoothly, his own enthrallment going through me. "And what a mystery you are as well, having such lovely magic at your fingertips~..."

I rolled my eyes as well as I could. "I simply learned from my grandfather... His magic was far more powerful..."

He let me go after a few moments as well, and Damien stepped up. He seemed to hesitate a little, and I smiled gently. I took his hands in my own, trying to ease his worries. "It's okay, you have my permission," I said kindly.

He nodded, relaxing a little as I felt the slow drain go through my hands into his. He didn't speak, but he gave me a thankful smile as he let me hands go. James was the last to come forward, and he looked at me with concern.

"Are you sure you are able to do this?" he asked, looking me over.

I wobbled a little where I stood, but I held firm in my decision. "Yes, I'll be fine," I insisted. "If I pass out, take me to the room three doors down from where Mika's is and drop me on my bed."

James nodded after a moment of hesitation, then gave me a measured look. "Would it be permissable to hold you to me? It will be easier to catch you that way."

I thought for a split second, then nodded. He stepped closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. I gently leaned into him as he began to drain me carefully, taking a little at a time. I vaguely noticed that his lips were on my forehead, and I chuckled a bit. Seems he found a loophole in my conditions. _Smart man_ , I thought to myself.

When he finished, the world spun a little in front of my eyes, and the last thing I saw before passing out was his eyes, which were still faintly glowing a bright golden color.

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AN: For any of you you have concerns so far, no, Serenity is not going to be OP. More like she has abilities, but nothing that will be beyond the realm of the reasonable. Especially considering that Grandpa Anderson was a damn powerful witch himself; he would have taught her enough where she would be able to continue learning on her own after a little while, only remaining available for guidance and advice. Just laying all that out now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I awoke tucked into my soft bed, and let out a relaxed sigh. Blinking my eyes open, I looked to see Sam sitting in my armchair near my book shelf. He seemed to be lost in thought. I sat up slowly, stretching my arms above me and listening to the satisfying cracks and pops.

Sam looked over at me, coming out of his reverie. "Oh. You're awake," he said, rising and coming over to me. "You feeling okay? Giving out your energy willy nilly like that is dangerous, ding-dong," he admonished, crossing his arms.

I waved his concern away. "I'm fine, really; I feel healthy as a horse." I swung my legs over the side of my bed, slowly standing up. Sam came closer, holding his arms out halfway in case if I were to fall.

Cracking my neck a couple of times, I noticed that his gaze was on my tattoo sleeve. I grinned. "Like it? I just got it finished a few weeks ago; it's still healing in a few places."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Protection spell, eh?" he asked, taking note of the Latin inscriptions on my bicep.

I nodded. "There's a focusing spell on my inner forearm as well. Mostly my idea, but my grandfather helped me."

He nodded, then head towards my door. "Come on; James, Matthew, and Erik are making dinner to apologize for the blood on the floor; Damien and I cleaned it up," he informed me.

I smiled in thanks, heading out the door with him. "Good; because I really don't know how to clean up blood, haha."

He rolled his eyes as we made our way down the staircase. As we reached the bottom, Damien was at the top of the stairs, carrying a blushing Mika princess style. I chuckled at the sight and went into the dining room before peeking into the kitchen. Matthew headed out past me, leaving Erik and James in the kitchen.

"Whatcha making, guys?" I asked.

They both jumped slightly in surprise before chuckling and turning to face me halfway, still stirring and preparing a few things. "A bit of everything, I suppose," answered James. "I'll escort you to the table, Miss. Erik, keep an eye on the pasta."

The redhead nodded as James came up to me, offering his elbow like a true gentleman. I smiled, a delicate blush forming on my cheeks. "Well now, aren't you sweet," I said, glancing up at him as we walked to the table.

Just then, Mika entered the dining room and I smiled at her. However, Sam spoke before I could. "Oh, you're awake too."

She looked at him in confusion, then turned her gaze to me. "Did you take a nap?" she asked, sitting across from Sam.

"Uh, no," I answered, taking the chair that James had pulled out for me next to the head seat. "The boys needed energy to heal, so I gave them mine. Don't worry though," I assured her with a grin. "I made it quite clear that there was to be no funny business."

Erik entered the room, placing a few dishes of food down. "Not that it stopped James from kissing your forehead as he held you close to him. Tsk tsk, how shameful," he teased.

I blushed as I heard James open his mouth in an affronted gasp. Glancing at him, I noted a small blush on his cheeks as well. "Well, excuse me, but Miss Serenity only said no kisses to her lips," he said after he recovered himself. As he walked to the kitchen, he shot over his shoulder, "So I was not out of bounds."

Mika bit her lip as Sam laughed outright at my blush. "Geez, ding-dong, are you secretly a tomato?" he asked between guffaws. Glaring at them, I lightly threw my napkin and grinned when it hit Mika's face.

"Sam, I will roast that tongue for dinner if it doesn't stop flapping in that idiotic mouth of yours." I looked up at James' clipped tone and saw him carrying more dishes of food into the dining room to set on the table.

Sam rolled his eyes, but stopped laughing. "Psh, whatever."

James looked down at me as he sat, the other boys taking a seat as well. "I apologize for his attitude."

"O-oh, it's fine," I mumbled, distracted by the sheer amount of food that him and his brothers had made.

"If I may be so forward, why do you two ladies live alone in such a large house?" he asked, looking between Mika and I.

I tensed, glancing at my cousin as she clenched her fists on the table. "...it's a long story," she answered, looking over at me.

I nodded in agreement, not looking up from my empty plate. Wanting to change the subject, I gave James, Erik, and Matthew a bright smile. "You three did an amazing job on dinner; it all looks mouthwatering."

They all smiled in thanks, and then Mika piped up. "I agree. But... I think I speak for both Serenity and I when I say I want to know how you all got here. I'm not quite sure I understand."

I nodded in agreement, and the boys all sighed, their expressions varied. Matthew leaned back in his chair. "Uhm... how do we explain...?"

"We were attacked. We came here to heal. What's so difficult to understand?" Sam asked brashly.

Erik frowned. "Now you're just being rude, Sam."

He held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying! How is that difficult to understand?"

I rolled my eyes. "Details, Sam. Mika and I need details."

James cleared his throat, directing my attention to him. "Well... you see, we've been traveling around for quite some time now. Just recently we came into town, but we were jumped by this band of... misfits. So in order to escape and heal, we came here for shelter. Again, we apologize for the mess we made."

I shrugged it off as Mika spoke. "It's fine, I guess. So you're all okay now?" she asked.

"Yup! All thanks to you and Serenity!" chimed Matthew.

"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head a bit.

Erik chuckled. "You see, beautiful, we feed on sexual energy, but we don't just get it from kissing lovely ladies such as yourself and your gorgeous cousin. We can simply touch someone's hand to obtain sexual energy. Everyone carries sexual energy, you know."

I nodded in agreement. "He's telling the truth. Incubi and succubi both feed that way. And when they fed from me earlier, again, there was no funny business," I added with a chuckle.

James gave me a small smile, then looked between Mika and I. "Is there anything else you ladies wish to know?"

I leaned forward, resting my arm on the table. "Well, I'm a bit concerned about what you guys are going to do now. I mean, if your only plan of escape was to just come in here and wait to heal, I assume I'm right in saying you boys haven't thought of anything else yet."

Matthew nodded, looking at his oldest brother. "Yeah, what are we gonna do now, James?"

James sighed, leaning back in his seat. "That is a very good question. We just got here and, surely, we'll be hunted again if we leave."

Sam sat up, his muscles flexing. "We can take 'em. Easily."

Erik shook his head. "Not without more training, Sam. The result of that was clearly evident in our last encounter with them."

I shared a look with Mika, and I could tell she and I were on the same page. We both felt sorry for the boys. After all, they certainly didn't wish to be attacked. I couldn't even fathom why they would be attacked in the first place. I mean, they really didn' seem like the type to start something. Well, except Sam, I suppose...

But, in a way, I felt I could sympathize with them. They were alone in the world, and all they had was each other. They had nowhere to go. It reminded me of when my parents had died. I felt like my whole world had been torn to shreds. But then Grandpa saved me, took me in, and raised me as best as he could. He taught me so much about everything in this world, and even some stuff about the other worlds.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I looked at Mika, questioning her with my gaze. She seemed to understand what I was asking, and nodded, a small smile on her lips. Sitting up straighter, Mika was the first to speak.

"Hey, guys?"

They all looked between her and I, and I smiled. "You know, you all could stay here with us, if you all want to. Heaven knows there's enough room."

They all seemed shocked, so Mika added, "It seems like you all need a place to stay, and, well, like Serenity said, there's enough room here if you want... It's just us here, so it makes sense."

They remained quiet, so I went on. "If you boys do stay here, though, there's one rule you all need to follow."

"Yes?" asked James, sounding almost entranced.

"You can't use your powers deliberately on Mika or I or anyone who comes over, unless it's an emergency. And you can't hurt any guest that comes over; except for uninvited ones like the assholes who attacked you and all that. You get what I mean."

"I'd like to add on one more thing," Mika said. Giving me a look, she then put her attention back on James. "You guys have to help with chores around the house. It's very big, and Serenity has been doing all of them for quite a long time all by herself. I may be here now, but even then, it's still a lot of work."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Mika raised a hand, cutting me off. "No, you're always taking care of everything and everyone. It's about time you relaxed for once," she said firmly.

I was surprised, but pleasantly so. Giving her a warm smile, I quickly turned my attention back to James as he answered.

"This is a generous offer, ladies. Are you both sure that would be okay? We don't wish to burden the two of you more than we already have."

"It's alright, really!" chimed Mika, waving his concern away.

"Yeah; I mean, truth be told, I wouldn't mind a few extra helping hands when it comes to the chores. Vacuuming day is tedious as hell when it's just me," I confessed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Plus you guys need a place to stay where you don't need to be quite as incognito."

Erik beamed, folding his hands on the table. "A wonderful idea! We'll live here and train while helping you both with the house! Servants for the beautiful princesses!"

Sam looked mutinous, glaring at his elder brothers. "What?! Are you serious?!"

Matthew frowned, looking desperate. "Shhh, be quiet, Sam! I haven't slept in a bed for days!" he cried in a loud whisper, which made Damien chuckle.

Sam growled, crossing his arms and slouching in his seat. "Gahhh, fine. But we're not staying here forever. Only until we can beat up that group of punks," he grumbled.

James rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I think that is a reasonable time limit for our stay."

"Yesss! This is awesome!" Matthew fist pumped the air in excitement, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Also, ladies, if either of you need a bed fellow~," crooned Erik, fluttering his eyelashes.

I deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, do you know someone who would actually fit that description? Do let me know when you find one."

Erik blinked in surprise while Mika covered her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. Sam and Matthew had no such qualms, and laughed outright. Even Damien and James seemed to be fighting grins. Raising a brow, I smiled coyly. "Now, shall we eat? After all, wouldn't want the food to get cold."

"If it does, Erik can put it on the third degree burn you just gave him," replied Matthew, still snorting lightly from laughing too much.

As him and Sam calmed, however, they began shoveling food into their mouths. I gaped, torn between being impressed and being vaguely disgusted. I glanced at James and saw his eye twitch, before looking at my cousin to see her biting her lip to fight off a grin.

"Really, you two?! You're both acting like pigs!" James scolded.

"Oh, let them have a little freedom, James," chided Erik, spooning some pasta salad onto his plate. Holding my hands out for the bowl, he handed it to me as he continued. "It's not like we've eaten recently either. I'm sure they've been starving."

I noted that the pasta salad was of the Italian variety, and I grinned, nearly pouring the entire bowl onto my plate. Setting the bowl back onto the table, I glanced at James as he replied. "Still, that's no excuse for stuffing their faces like backyard swine."

I grimaced, playing with my noodles a bit. "I have to agree with you there, James. Even if someone is starved, no excuse for lack of manners," I said, lightly shaking my head at the two little piggies.

Mika, however, couldn't hold back her laughter at the sight. Sam and Matthew looked at her in surprise. The sight was comical, seeing as they both still had their mouths full.

"Is something funny?" asked Matthew. I could only barely make out what he was saying.

Sam, however, gave her a small glare. "What are you laughing at?"

Mika stopped for a bit to catch her breath, and I shook my head with a sigh as she braced her hands on the table. "Girly, I have no idea where your weird sense of humor came from. Actually, no," I amended. "I kinda blame Suzu."

Mika rolled her eyes at me, then looked at the two as they swallowed what was in their mouths. "You both are so funny!"

They turned slightly pink in the face, and I rolled my eyes once more. I began to eat my pasta salad, humming at how good it tasted. I glanced at James and noted he was eating pasta as well, but it was different; the noddles were green and there were little shrimp scattered throughout. Tilting my head in curiosity, I asked, "Say, James, what are you eating?"

"Hm? Oh, this, my lady, is a shrimp pesto dish. Pastas are my specialty; I see you're enjoying the cold Italian pasta," he noted, smiling kindly.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, most definitely! You have to teach me how to make it; I mean, I know how to cook pasta, but I swear, you did something otherworldly to it," I gushed.

A small blush dusted over his cheekbones as he looked away and cleared his throat a little. "If you'd like to learn, I certainly don't mind teaching you, Lady Serenity."

I grinned, and we continued eating quietly. It was nice, having so many people to eat with. For a long time, it had only been me and maybe two to three other people at most. But I was mostly used to it just being Grandpa and I. I felt... whole; like I was a part of a family. I felt my eyes prick with tears, but I blinked them away. I didn't want the boys asking any awkward questions.

However, the silence was broken by the sound of Mika's ringtone. I watched her take out her phone, checking the caller ID. "Huh? It's my mom... Excuse me..."

She rose from the table as she answered her phone, walking into the main hall so she could talk without being rude. I grinned; it seemed she remembered my rule about phones at the table. Then, I frowned. "I hope everything's alright; Uncle David better not be talking crap again, or I swear, I will smack him," I mumbled.

James and Damien looked at me in both curiosity and concern, but before they could say anything, Mika came back in. As she hung up the phone and sat down, I heard her grumble, "Great... Now how am I going to do this?"

Erik looked at her, raising a brow. "Is something wrong?"

Damien answered before Mika could even open her mouth. "She has to arrange a house party... for her parents."

I narrowed my eyes. "It was Uncle David's idea, wasn't it?" I asked. At her nod, I growled under my breath. "I'll bet he's going to fill the place with company heads and other important people. Ugh... I wish he would understand that you don't want to be the CEO. He shouldn't pressure you into taking it simply because I don't want the position."

Mika sighed, slumping in her chair. "I have to organize the whole thing by myself; though mom said that you would most likely help me," she said. "We'll have to stay up late tonight and get up early tomorrow morning to get everything done."

I groaned, sliding down in my chair as well. "I really, really want to hit something now..."

Matthew piped up, taking in our dejected expressions. "Hey, why don't we help you? That's what we're here for, right?"

James nodded, smiling a little. "I don't see why not."

"I can name a few reasons why we shouldn't," grumbled Sam, leaning back in his chair.

"Sam," warned James.

"Back off!"

James sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before looking between Mika and I. "We'll take care of everything, ladies. Just leave everything to us."

I grinned, sitting up ramrod straight in my chair. "Really? Oh thank gods. We owe you all big time."

Mika nodded, and seemed to relax. I was glad that we had offered to let the boys stay with us; aside from their nice company, they would be able to make this whole thing less stressful for us. Stretching my arms above my head, I yawned. "Ugh, I'm still sleepy... you wanna head to bed, kiddo?" I asked.

Mika nodded, rising from her chair. Before I could do the same, however, James rose and pulled my chair out for me. I flushed delicately and took his proffered hand, noting how warm his skin was. "Thank you," I murmured. "Goodnight boys; come on, Mika. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We'll need to find something to wear..."

I heard her groan lowly as she got up, linking arms with me as we made our way upstairs. "Do you want me to pick the music?" I asked. "And don't give me a look, I do happen to have a few classical music pieces in my arsenal."

Mika thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be best," she acquiesced. Then, she thought for a bit, a sly grin forming on her face. "Do you still have those piano covers of modern songs on you?"

I let out a laugh as we made it to the top of the staircase. That party was certainly going to be interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I awoke with my alarm the next morning, angrily slamming down the 'off' button. Sitting up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, grumbling. "Stupid Uncle... making this party short notice... Gonna kick his ass when I get the chance... thinks he can order me around through Mika..."

I rose out of bed, feeling the sheets slip off of my nude body. I stretched my arms above my head, attempting to wake myself up. Before anything got done this morning, I needed a shower. Grabbing my towel and slipping my bathrobe on, I peeked out my door. Seeing that the coast was clear, I dashed out and made a beeline for the bathroom.

Once inside, I shut and locked the door. Didn't want Erik getting bold, after all. I kinda liked the guy, and would've hated to have to beat him up. Even if I wouldn't be able to hurt him very much.

I showered quickly, enjoying the scent of my jasmine infused shapmoo and conditioner fill the room. Once I got out, I wrapped my towel around me and placed my robe over my arm. I unlocked and poked my head out of the door to check if the coast was clear. Confirming it was, I dashed back to my room.

I could faintly hear Mika's door opening and closing, but paid it no mind. I dried off as best as I could, brushing my hair so it would dry better. Throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and a berry colored tank top, I checked myself over. Frowning, I decided to add more color to my outfit by wrapping a golden yellow and black flannel around my waist.

 _There, that's better,_ I thought to myself with a pleased grin. _Gold and yellow always go well with purple tones._

And with that, I headed downstairs. As I got to the main lobby, the smell of breakfast filled my nose and my mouth watered. "Ooooh, something smells wonderful!"

I practically skipped into the dining room, a wide grin on my face. I saw that Mika was already there, and took a seat next to her. "Morning, kiddo! Sleep well?" I asked.

"Uh, well..."

"She had a nightmare," answered Damien as he disappeared into the kitchen.

I frowned, looking at her in concern. "You okay? Do I need to do the thing that would help you as a kid?"

Mika blushed, embarrassed. "NO. No, you don't. It's fine, Serenity, really. I'm fine."

I shrugged. "Alright, but if you need me at all, I'm only three doors past your room, okay?"

Mika nodded as Sam came in, ruffling her hair. "Morning. You alright?"

I frowned. "Did everybody know she had a nightmare except me?"

"Basically," answered the gruff boy, plopping down into the seat on Mika's other side. He then looked towards the kitchen and yelled, "HEY! IS THE FOOD DONE YET? I'M STARVING!"

I flinched slightly at his volume, covering my ears. "Dammit, Sam, don't yell! The house may be big, but geez, the kitchen is only twenty feet away."

"Hey! You're being loud too!"

"That's only because my ears are shot and this is the only way I can hear myself right now," I countered, glaring at him.

Erik came in behind us and sat at the end chair, rubbing his temple. "Can we not yell this early in the morning? It's not like we're in the castle."

"Castle?!" Mika and I squawked in unison.

Sam leaned forward and looked down at us with a smirk. "Yeah, we have a castle back home. Our dining room is ten times bigger than this room."

"Then wouldn't it be logical NOT to yell?" Erik asked pointedly.

Sam rolled his eyes, slouching in his chair. "Pff. Whatever."

A few seconds later, Damien re-emerged from the kitchen with James, both of them carrying plates of eggs, bacon, toast, and waffles. I gaped, my eyes going wide as my mouth watered.

"Mmm! My favorite!" Erik leaned forward in his chair, eager.

"I swear, you boys are going to spoil us," I laughed. "We may not let you leave if you're going to keep making such awesome food."

James chuckled at my compliment, taking the chair at the opposite end of Erik's. "It's our pleasure, Lady Serenity. Please, dig in."

All of a sudden, Mika's phone began to ring. I sighed, smiling a little. "Girl, what is it with people and bothering you when you're about to eat?"

She quickly answered, and I felt my eyebrow twitch. _She knows how I am about calls at the table..._

"Hello?" There was a pause, then a couple of knocks at the front door sounded. I thought for a split second, then paled.

"Oh no, don't tell me-!"

"I'll get it!" called Matthew cheerfully.

"Oh crap, they did, didn't they?" I asked her. At her nod, I dashed with her to the front door. However, by the time we got there, Matthew had opened the door and were locked in an awakward staring contest with Suzu and Naomi.

I twitched, anxious and very much at a loss for words. Mika was no better, and looked pale as a ghost.

Matthew looked between the two girls at the door, then awkwardly said, "Uhh... H-hi...?"

I facepalmed and tried counting to ten. Multiple times. This was not our morning.

Suzu gave him a critical once-over. "Who... are you?"

"S-Suzu, let me explain!" Mika squeaked.

"What's going on here?" asked Naomi, looking concerned and confused.

To make matters worse, the other boys came in, Erik at the front. "Who was at the door, Matthe-? Oh."

Mika facepalmed as well, and I had to think fast. "U-uhm, these guys are... our servants!" I said brightly, trying not to panic.

"Huh? You never mentioned them before, Serenity," Naomi said, tilting her head slightly in question.

I then began to panic a little. However, James placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Looking up at him, he gave me the slightest shake of his head and a smile before looking at the two confused girls. "We must apologize, ladies. We know this situation must be confusing for everyone. Let's take this to the dining room and we'll explain everything."

Mika and I let out a breath of relief. James and I turned and led the rest of them into the dining room. Glancing up at him, I whispered, "Thank you; I thought I was going to have a minor panic attack."

"It is no problem, my lady," he murmured, a kind smile on his handsome face.

Soon, Mika, Naomi, Suzu, and I were seated at the table. Erik and Matthew pulled out their chairs, seating them like proper gentlemen. James had pulled out mine and Mika's chairs.

"Whoa! This looks amazing!" enthused Suzu, looking at the breakfast feast before us.

"Thank you!" Naomi chirped, grinning wide.

"Our pleasure, ladies. We hope you enjoy your meals." Erik gave them a charming smile as he said this, and boy were they charmed.

"Make sure you dig in!" Matthew encouraged, a boyish grin on his face.

With eager expressions, they both began to eat, and Mika and I followed suit. I still felt very tense; hopefully the boys didn't mind me saying they were our servants. I felt a blush form on my face as they just stood behind Mika and I, and as I glanced over, I saw that she was in a similar state.

"So, Anderson one and two, are you guys gonna tell us what's going on?" Suzu asked around the small mouthful of toast she was chewing.

"W-well, you see... uh..."

I saw James place a hand on Mika's shoulder as she trailed off, and she kept eating. He then answered, "We're house servants for both Miss Andersons. We were hired by their late grandfather to help around the mansion shortly before he passed. Now, with the mansion belonging to Miss Mika and Miss Serenity, we work for them."

"That makes sense. It's such a huge house!"

Erik smiled at Naomi. "A huge house for wonderful princesses such as the young Miss Andersons deserves the greatest of servants to care for it."

Suzu quirked her brow. "But why are you all dressed so casually and stuff? Aren't servants supposed to have uniforms or whatever?"

I spoke up before any of the boys could say anything. "Can you really see my grandfather or I making these good looking guys wear uniforms all the time?" I asked, smiling. "Grandpa wanted them to feel comfortable while working, so he had no problems with them wearing casual clothes."

Mika gave my leg a slight bump with her foot in thanks as Naomi and Suzu nodded. "True; your grandfather was sweet like that," intoned the former.

Damien gave them an apologetic smile. "We're sorry if we made the situation awkward earlier."

"We're very sure that both Miss Andersons are also still getting used to having us as their servants. It would be very hard to explain after so little time," reasoned James.

Both girls nodded in understanding, and I relaxed. I continued eating as Erik asked, "So, if I may ask, what brings you two ladies here?"

"Well, we wanted to see how our friends were doing," answered Naomi with a bright grin. "Since it's the weekend and all, usually we hang out and just chill with them. Well, Serenity joins us if she doesn't have a class, I should say," she amended.

"Yeah! We go to the arcade and stuff," added Suzu, leaning back in her chair.

"Or the Pink Lady Cafe," Naomi tacked on.

Matthew seemed to bounce where he stood. "There's an arcade?!"

James cleared his throat. "Ahem. That makes a lot of sense, ladies. Well, we don't wish to disturb you any further than we have, so we'll take our leave and start preparing the house."

"Huh? Preparing for what?" asked Naomi.

"We gotta prep the house for some sort of housewarming party thing," answered Sam, his tone less than enthusiastic.

"Our youngest princess's parents have requested a housewarming party to be held here soon," said Erik, elaborating a bit.

Mika and I sighed. "And by soon, they mean tonight," Mika confessed, looking drained already.

Suzu immediately perked up, her expression serious. "Oh, well, I guess we can help out or something, right Naomi?"

"I thought you wanted to go to the arcade?"

"This housewarming thing is more important." I smiled; Suzu wasn't normally this responsible, but when she was, it was sincere.

"No need. We can handle it," James assured them before looking at Mika and I. "If you'd like to, ladies, you can both go out with your friends while we handle things here."

"...seriously?" Sam inquired in a flat tone.

"Sam, not now," murmured Damien.

I shook my head, giving James a small smile. "Nope; I'm going to stay and help. I'm in charge of picking out the music; I can easily do that either while helping one of you out, or before we all get started."

Mika nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd rather stay and help too."

"Are you guys sure?" asked Matthew.

I nodded. "Yeah; like I said, I'm the DJ for the night," I said jokingly.

"Exactly; and it's my parents that asked for it," added Mika. "I should stay and help, too."

"Want us to help out as well?"

I shook my head at Suzu. "Don't worry, bambina, we can handle this."

"We can take care of it. Thanks though." Mika grinned at her two best friends, and I couldn't help but smile myself. They really were the best friends I could ask for Mika to have.

"Alright. We'll head out then so we're not in the way!" Naomi chirped, rising from her chair, Suzu following suit.

"Sorry, guys! I'll hang out with you guys soon!"

"Same here; as long as I'm free for that day," I added.

"It's all good! We'll definitely come to the housewarming party tonight!" promised Suzu, throwing up a peace sign.

I chuckled. "Thanks, girls. Oh, as for clothes, I suggest going at least semi-formal," I advised. "Knowing Uncle David, he's only invited company big whigs and is trying to pawn Mika off as CEO material again."

They both frowned, but nodded. "Alright; we'll go shopping and pick something up."

I gave Naomi a smile, knowing she would help Suzu out in that department. Rising, Mika and I led them out the door and bid them farewell until the evening. When we returned to the dining room, the plates of food had been cleared.

"Alright, what needs to be done to prepare for the party?" asked James.

Mika and I shared a glance, then began to think. "Well, it's been awhile since the yard has been cleared up. And the lobby is probably where it's going to be held, so that should be cleaned up a bit, too," I advised.

"The garden should probably be checked on," added Mika. "And we should also prepare some food and lay it out in here buffet style in case people get hungry."

The boys nodded, taking everything in. Materializing a piece of paper and a pen, James wrote it all down before looking at me. "And you said that you would handle the music selection?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I can do that fairly quickly, so I'll be able to help with something else. The garden is kind of my baby, so I'll most likely help whoever is going to work on that."

James nodded, then looked at Mika. "I'm sure you have homework, Miss. We'll let you do that before the rest of us begin working. That should also give you enough time to select the music, Lady Serenity," he added, his gaze turning back to me.

Mika and I nodded, then got up and went upstairs. She went to her room, while I went the opposite direction. Grandpa had indulged me and set up a room where I could dance and listen to my music; both were fierce passions of mine. Stepping inside, I went over to the bookshelf that held all of my CDs. Some were storebought, but most of them were made by me.

Each of my homemade CDs were for either different occasions, seasons, moods, or were basically 'Best Of' mixes. I marked them all on the book shelf, of course, so it would be easier to organize them. Running my finger along the third shelf, I grinned. "Aha! There you are!"

I pulled out a CD that was labeled 'Piano Music: Classic and Not So Much'. Looking on the back, I went over the list of songs and nodded. "Yeah, this should do it. If I set the player on repeat, no one will notice. Makes it a bit easier on me. Though... Just in case..."

I looked over my CDs again, then pulled out another disc. This one was labeled 'Soft Orchestral'. Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "Just in case my uncle realizes the first CD is on repeat..."

I groaned, thunking my head on the wall. _This is going to be a very long day and night..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After lunch, we all split up into our different jobs. Mika had decided to help Sam with the front yard, and I found out James was going to be my garden tending buddy. I just had to change my clothes into something a bit more grungy; after all, weed pulling is dirty business. After pulling on a plain tank top and a pair of overall shorts, I headed downstairs.

When I stepped outside into the garden, I took a deep breath, savoring the floral scent in the air. "Mmmm... so peaceful out here..."

"I have to agree."

I jumped slightly as James' sudden appearance at my side. I let out a small laugh at his concerned expression. "I'm fine, you're just so quiet. You startled me a little."

He relaxed a bit, then rolled up his sleeves, looking around the garden. "So, we need to cater to the plants and make sure there are no muddy spots in the grass."

"Yep; I'll pull the weeds, though. I don't want you to get all dirty and stuff," I said kindly.

James began to shake his head, but I sighed, looking up at him with a pleading expression. "Please? I really like pulling them," I confessed. Then, I looked away with a bright blush, lightly digging the toe of my chucks into the ground. "To be honest, it makes me feel like I'm Mother Nature fighting to protect her plants..."

James chuckled, covering his mouth slightly. "I have to admit, that's adorable."

I blushed darker and ducked my head. "O-oh, hush. You go ahead and water the flowers while I wage war on the weeds..."

With that, I went to the first flower bed, getting down on my knees and getting to it. I chose to ignore James as he all but giggled at me. After a few minutes, we settled into a routine where I would pull the weeds out of an area, and he would water it right after.

When we finished the first few flower beds, I got up and dusted off my knees, grimacing a little at the dirty spots. "I'll need a bath before the party..."

James laughed a little. "Normally I would agree, but I must say, you look cute."

I spluttered a bit, gaping at him in surprise as my face heated up in a bright blush. After a split second, I cleared my throat, calming myself down. "S-so, why did you want to work out here anyways? Do you like flowers, too?"

He smiled, a small light of enthusiasm in his whiskey gold eyes. "They have a wonderful aesthetic," he answered, going back to watering them. "Many people would think that flowers are simple and rather boring, but I've learned secrets about flowers."

I tilted my head. "Like what they mean and such? I studied that a little bit myself; I always liked the idea of giving flowers to someone and sending a message with them, even if the person recieving them didn't understand it," I said, grinning. "It's almost like a secret language!"

James chuckled, nodding. "Yes, as well as other things. Like how certain flowers need to be watered in specific ways, and need different amounts of moisture to grow to their full potential."

I gave him a sheepish smile. "I'll admit, I usually let Grandpa handle the watering part. All I end up doing is either drenching them or leave them slightly parched." I paused for a bit, then looked up at him. "Could you show me how to do it right?"

James looked at me, a small smirk on his face. He then walked up behind me and led me to an untouched flower bed. Placing the watering can in my hands, his arms went around me from behind, guiding my own. I felt my face heat up once again as the water poured out onto the dirt, nourishing the bunches of tuberoses.

My already shaky concentration was broken by his low voice at my left ear. "Flowers, as you know, need to be cared for gently, like a fragile life. Too much power and they'll break, but too little and they'll wither and fade away. It's like caring for a pet or a loved one."

"Hmm... a loved one..." I murmured.

We kept watering the tuberoses, James leading me through it. When we finished, he guided me to the next flower bed, his hands on my own. We moved fluidly, almost like we were dancing. I felt myself relax, finding comfort in his delicate guiding motions. It was nice to have someone direct me for a change; I was normally the bossy one.

Eventually, he let me go and let me continue on my own. Looking over my shoulder, I cought a look in his eyes that I didn't quite understand before it faded and he smiled at me. "You have the hang of it now. I'll pull the remaining weeds." He paused, them smirked at me. "Wouldn't want them to think they've won this 'war' of yours."

I laughed even as my face heated up more, the warmth spreading to my ears. A small snort slipped out, and I covered my mouth in embarrassment, calming myself down as I went back to watering the flowers.

After half an hour, however, I realized something. _He ended up pulling most of the weeds! That sly, sneaky demon!_

I sighed, glancing at him. At that moment, he met my gaze. He seemed to understand what I was thinking, because he sent me a triumphant smirk that caused a small wave of excitement through me.

 _That. Sneaky. Mother. Fucker. No one gets one over me. Ever_ , I thought to myself, turning back to the flowers. However, I wasn't mad, per se. In fact, it was a little invigorating. I always did appreciate intelligence; doesn't hurt that it was wrapped up in a very handsome, bespectacled sex demon.

Soon, it was almost time for the house party. I quickly took a bath to wash the dirt off of my arms, legs, and face before hurrying to my room. I dug out one of my more... tame dresses and slipped it on. The golden metal adornment on the strapless sweetheart bodice shined in the light, accenting the berry color of the silk dress. I fastened a simple black belt at my waist and slipped on a pair of black heels. Pulling my hair up in a fashionably messy bun, I let a few tendrils frame my face. Finally, I finished my look by putting on a simple berry purple choker and golden hoop earrings.

I didn't bother putting on much makeup aside from an understated cat eye and a swipe of clear gloss on my lips. Letting out a breath, I went out my door and saw Naomi and Suzu standing outside of Mika's room. I grinned, walking up to them.

"Hey girls; is Mika almost done?" I asked, hugging them.

Before they could answer, my cousin opened the door and I beamed with pride. "Oh, Mika, you look gorgeous!"

She blushed as Suzu and Naomi agreed with me. "She's right! Dude, you look hot!"

"Yeah! You look amazing! Where did you get that dress?" asked Naomi.

I smiled smugly. "I gave it to her last year for her birthday," I bragged. "I saw it and immediately thought she'd look lovely in it. Burgundy is soooo her color. I thought the off-shoulder look would draw attention to her neck, which I have no idea where you got those genes," I admitted, looking at her in surprise. "I mean, my neck is long-ish, but yours is like a swan's."

She only grew more and more red before walking out and shutting her door. "Shut up, Serenity... I'm not that pretty."

"Oh, come off it," I countered, waving her words away. "You are beautiful. And never let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?"

She rolled her eyes as Naomi and Suzu chuckled at her embarrassment. When we got to the top of the stairs, I saw the boys all dressed to impress in proper servants attire. However, they all added a splash of color into their suits, with the exception of Damien. Their colors all matched their eyes, and I had to admit, the effect was very flattering.

"Wow! They really know how to dress well, don't they?" murmured Naomi, her eyes wide in awe.

I chuckled. "That's for certain."

Mika and I descended the staircase with Naomi and Suzu behind us. The way the boys were looking at us, I felt like I was a queen or something. Fighting back a grin and a blush, I was met at the bottom of the stairs by James as he offered me his elbow. I saw Erik do the same for Mika, with Damien and Matthew following their examples for Naomi and Suzu.

James leaned down and murmured, "As lovely as an empress, Lady Serenity."

I grinned sheepishly at him before we both looked to Mika. "So, are you prepared for tonight?" he asked her.

After a moment of hesitation, Mika nodded. "Yes. I'm ready." I saw her nerves of steel clamp down on her, and I felt beyond proud.

"You can do this, Mika. If you get nervous, just send me the usual signal and I'll come and rescue you," I said, half teasing and half serious.

She seemed to relax a little, nodding. "Alright."

I glanced at the wall clock and as the minute hand hit six, the doorbell rang. Erik and Sam quickly went to the door, and I could practically picture my Uncle David scowling at the harmless wood. As the two incubi opened the double doors, my aunt and uncle were revealed, dressed in their very best.

"Hey mom. Hey dad," greeted Mika. Suzu and Naomi nodded in greeting to them as well.

"Aunt Laura, Uncle David," I said, smiling a little.

My aunt looked at the boys in surprise. "Oh my! I didn't know you both ended up with servants as well," she said. "You never mentioned them, Serenity."

"Why would she? They're just servants," my uncle butt in.

I glanced at Erik and Sam, noting how their gazes were locked onto the two adults with utmost concentration. That explained why they weren't questioning the boys being here. After all, my aunt would have been very concerned and confused, whereas my uncle would have flown off the handle and accused me of sleeping around with them or being a bad influence.

My aunt then rushed forward and enveloped Mika and I in a tight hug. "Oh, you both look gorgeous! Absolutely lovely. David, look at your daughter and niece and tell them I'm right."

I glanced at him as he inspected the lobby like he was some sort of detective. I discreetly took Mika's hand and stood stock still as I waited for him to look at us. When he did, a small smile formed on his face.

"She's right; you both look grown up," he said, surprising me. He did glance at my tattoo sleeve, but he seemed resigned about it now. After all, I wasn't the one he was trying to show off. He probably didn't care anymore.

Mika was almost bouncing in joy. "Thank you, daddy!"

"Thank you, uncle."

He then focused his gaze on Mika. "I assume that you're ready, then, to impress the rest of the guests, correct?"

And there it was.

Mika sighed quietly, glancing at me quickly before nodding. "Yes. I'm ready."

Everything flew by after that, and the party got underway. I mostly stayed near the sound system, keeping an eye on the CDs and making sure they didn't skip or that there wasn't any speaker issues. I kept an eye on Mika, though. The poor girl was getting interrogated left and right. I gripped the glass of scotch that I had snuck from the drink table.

"They do seem to be questioning the young miss quite a bit, don't they?"

I glanced up at James, frowning as I looked back at the people surrounding her. "It's not fair. She doesn't even want to be CEO in the first place," I mumbled to him. "Uncle David is so obsessed with keeping the business in control of the family... The only reason why he can't take it himself is because nearly everyone at the company knows he'd ruin all the good things about the whole business. He's too stiff and formal and never has any fun."

"Hmm." I could almost hear the gears turning in his head; there was something going on under that swarthy black hair. "Moving on... I do believe that you're still a bit young to be drinking that, Lady Serenity," he teased.

I turned and lifted my nose in the air. "W-well, given how the atmosphere of this party is, I need a pick me up," I argued quietly. "Besides, scotch is classy."

He chuckled, quickly stealing the glass from my hands in one smooth motion. "While I agree, perhaps you should wait until after the party to... let loose in such a manner."

I looked up at him, ready to take my glass back, but I stopped short when he drank it all himself, not breaking eye contact with me. My mouth went dry and I gaped. He only smirked, giving me a small bow before disappearing.

 _Dear lord_ , I thought, fanning myself. _He just... oh gods, that was an indirect kiss!_

Suzu then sidled up to me, a knowing grin on her face. "Sooooo... what up with tall, dark, and sexy?" she asked, elbowing me lightly.

I glared at her. "Shut up, shorty," I replied, ruffling her hair.

She only laughed. "Oh come on, I could feel the chemistry from all the way over there! He was tooootally giving you sex eyes!"

I rolled my eyes, smiling a little. "Suzu, how would you know what those look like?" I grinned, leaning down. "Something you aren't telling me Suuuzuuu~?"

Now that made her stop and turn red as a tomato. She gaped and spluttered in shock, waving her arms around slightly. I only laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, come now, Suzu, come tell big cousin Serenity alllll about it!"

Suzu froze, then grumbled, crossing her arms. I looked up and happened to meet Damien's gaze. I could see the amusement in his eyes, and I winked conspiratorially. He seemed to chuckle a bit, then went back to tending to the guests.

After awhile, I saw some guy almost run out the back door into the garden. Frowning, I looked in the direction he came from and sighed in understanding. Standing in a loose circle, Mika, Uncle David, and Aunt Laura all stood. Mika kept glancing to the door, and my aunt was having words with my uncle. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

 _Poor boy_ , I thought to myself.

Soon, the party began winding down at around midnight, and the boys, Mika, Suzu, Naomi, myself, and my aunt and uncle were the only ones left. Mika looked relieved, and I couldn't help but agree. Too many people there were only interested in the future of the company and whether or not she would become CEO.

My uncle looked at her, then surprised the both of us by smiling, putting a hand on each of our shoulders. "You two did good tonight. I'm proud."

I gaped in surprise, and Mika practically jumped for joy. I recovered myself, clearing my throat a little. "Uh, thank you, Uncle David," I said. "I didn't do much, however."

"Nonsense, dear; I know it was you who picked the music," Aunt Laura said, giving me a smile.

Mika grinned up at her father. "Thank you, dad."

He nodded. "Keep it up and you'll be a good CEO."

I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to break something as I saw Mika's expression fall somewhat. _Just a few more minutes... then he'll be gone. You can hit something later..._

"Oh... right..." she mumbled.

"Alright. Your mother and I have to leave. I'm sure Naomi and Suzu need to leave as well. Just because it's Saturday doesn't mean you should stay up all night." Uncle David looked down at Mika with a halfway stern expression.

"Don't worry," I interjected. "I'll make sure she goes to sleep after she helps me put the music away." He nodded, then turned and went to the door. Erik opened the doors for him and then closed them when my uncle was out.

"Thans for having us! It was a great party!" chimed Naomi, floating over to us and hugging us tight.

"We'll come visit you guys tomorrow or something, alright?" Suzu said, bumping our shoulders with her fist.

Mika smiled in thanks. "Alright; see ya!"

I watched Damien lead them out the door, then turned to my aunt. After hugging each of us, she smiled. "Godnight, dears. You girls come visit us soon, okay?"

"Will do," assured Mika, bobbing her head.

Finally, it was just us and the boys. I slumped, letting out a breath of relief. "Gods, that was exhausting. I mean, I like a good party, but it seemed more like a casual board meeting."

Mika nodded, sitting on the stairs. "Tell me about it. I'm so tired..."

Sam deadpanned. "It's not like you two had to do any real work, though."

"Give them a break, man," said Matthew, crossing his arms. "Mika was getting interrogated left and right. Plus..." He trailed off, glancing at me.

"What?"

Erik sighed. "There were a few guests who had some... less than savory thoughts about you, princess."

I frowned, crossing my arms and looking down at my feet. "That's... not really anything new. It's fine."

I felt James step closer, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Since you two are exhausted, why not head to bed? We can clean up."

Sam groaned, Damien shushing him as I glanced up at James. I saw the hidden concern and questions in his whiskey gaze, but shook my head slightly, then smiled. "Alright. I know I'm about ready to drop. Mika?"

"Are you guys sure?" she asked, looking between each of them.

"Positive. It shouldn't take long," Matthew assured her, shrugging lightly.

Just then, the front doors burst open on their own, a voice spilling in from outside. "Oh ho ho~! It didn't take long to find you little shits after all~!"

I saw Mika shudder out of the corner of my eye, but readied myself to fight off whoever had the balls to burst into our house. James placed a hand on her shoulder, putting the other on my lower back. "Don't worry. No one will hurt either of you."

"Are you sure? Are you really sure?!"

Finally, the source of the voice walked up the steps and came inside. I was surprised by his appearance; red skin, pointed ears, white hair, and black eyes with yellow sclera. He carried a pistol and wore ragged clothes; I could see that his shirt had a skull decal on it. A woman who looked similar to him stepped inside behind him, and it finally caught up to me about what they were.

"Devils," I growled quietly.

"What's the matter, boys? You really didn't think I wouldn't find you, did you?" he asked menacingly, a mad grin on his face.

"I hoped you would, you piece of-!"

All of a sudden, the male devil raised his gun at Sam's face and pulled the trigger. The sound made me flinch, but I smirked.

Sam stood there, eyes wide and full of confusion and relief.

The devil gaped. "Wha-What the fuck?!" He tried shooting Sam again and again, each time aiming for his face. However, each of them ended up being blanks. Which each failure, the male demon grew more and more irate.

"Why the fuck won't you work?!"

I glared at him, stepping in front of the boys and Mika to protect them. "This entire mansion and the land it sits on are protected," I bit out.

He growled, stepping closer. "What did you say, bitch?!"

Damien spoke up, standing beside me. "This estate has a seal protecting it from Hell-borne magic."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" the jerk growled. He gnashed his teeth and threw his gun at Sam's face; luckily, he dodged it in time. As it clattered to the floor, it dissolved into black flames which faded within a few seconds.

"The previous head of house had this place protected by magic, Malix." Matthew glared at the devil, his fists clenched tightly.

 _So, his name is Malix_ , I thought to myself. _Perhaps I should brush up on my exorcism skills..._

Mika looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"Grandpa knew what different creatures lay out there, and wanted to protect his home from them; especially after I started living here," I explained.

My attention was drawn back to Malix as a low, nearly-silent growl sounded from between his clenched teeth. "Then what's stopping me from DRAGGING YOUR ASSES OUT AND SHOOTING YOU THEN?!"

Mika grew bold and stepped out to stand beside me. She grabbed my hand tightly, then growled, "Get the fuck out of our house."

Malix stalked up to us, getting right in our faces. I surged my magic on my left hand, preparing for the worst. "Since when do a couple of bitchy stains like you two give orders to a guy who can rip your heads from your pretty little bodies?"

I scoffed, smirking at him. "You're pretty fucking stupid, aren't you? If you somehow manage to kill us, you'll be hunted down by more than just the police, douchemuffin."

Malix growled. "You little-!"

I tried to dash away, pulling Mika with me, but I cried out as Malix gripped my messy bun in one hand, and Mika's flowing hair in the other. He pulled us up forcefully, making me gasp and heave in pain as he cackled in our faces.

"HEY! LET 'EM GO!" yelled Sam.

"SAM! ERIK!"

At James' order, Sam dashed forward and quickly punched Malix in the jaw, forcing his grip on Mika's hair to loosen. However, due to how my hair was done up, he was able to still have a bit of a hold on mine. I saw Erik catch my cousin as she stumbled, pulling her away to safety. Matthew went up behind Malix and elbowed him in the back of his neck, finally making the devil lose his grip on my bun. Damien steadied me and brought me back to their group, placing me behind James. The latter glanced back at me over his shoulder, making sure I was okay. I gave him a shaky smile in reassurance, and he seemed to relax a bit.

Malix was about to lunge at Sam, but the female devil, who had thus far remained silent, halted him by grabbing hold of his shoulder tightly. "That's enough, Malix."

"What?! Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that, woman?!"

"The girl who's going to help you kill them. Just not now," she said in a steady growl.

"NOT NOW?!" he all but squawked.

"They have five demons and a witch, and there's only two of us," she answered. "Even if we come back with the gang, they can have the place surrounded by human police."

"Then we shoot EVERYONE!"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head; this guy was a real nutcase.

"THINK! If we shoot everyone, we'll be hunted, and it's only a matter of time before makeshift paladins come and try to exorcise us," the she-devil growled, her tone becoming more commanding.

I watched as they growled at each other, looking as though they were in a competition of dominance. After a bit, Malix grunted and turned his head to glare at the boys. He pointed his finger at James, a deadly smirk on his face.

"Just wait, pretty boys. We'll get you and fuck you up REAL good. AHAHAHAHA!"

Then, his attention turned to Mika and I, his grin growing even more deadly. "And don't think you two are safe either. Mm-mm... Step outside, I DARE you!" He cackled madly once more, the sound of it trailing behind him as he and the she-devil left. I waved my hand, causing the front doors to close and lock on their own.

I turned just in time to see Mika nearly collapse. However, Sam and Damien caught her before she hit the floor. "Whoa, whoa! Are you alright?" asked the former in worry.

Mika nodded, looking up at the boys. "Y-yeah... Why was he here?"

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. "I'm going to take a guess and say that him and this gang of his are the ones who beat you all up?"

They all nodded, Sam still seeming pissed off about it. "He must have tracked our blood trail from the forest," Damien said, frowning.

Matthew growled lowly, clenching his fists. "We should have stopped him and finished it here..."

"For once, Matthew, I agree with you." Sam cracked his knuckles, glaring at the front doors.

I, however, felt like absolute crap. I should've been able to react instantly with my magic to defend Mika. Glancing at her, I saw her rubbing her arms, noting the goosebumps that littered her skin. Frowning, I wrapped an arm around her. "Hey... don't worry about that nasty devil, Mika..."

She looked up at me in fear. "But how are we supposed to go outside of the estate?! He could jump us!"

I smiled gently, shaking my head. "Not so. Grandpa and I placed a protection spell on you the last time you were here while he was still alive," I explained. "It will block Hell-borne magic. As for me..." I gestured to the Latin words on my bicep. "I got an overall protection spell tattooed on me. I'll pay for you to get one as well after you graduate; your dad would kill me if I did it now..."

Mika nodded, seemingly lost in thought. I hugged her tightly, laying my head on her shoulder. She hugged me in return, holding me just as tightly. I glanced up at James, silently asking him to help me make her feel better.

He nodded slightly, then placed a hand on Mika's back. "Miss, please don't worry. We'll find a way to train ourselves and become stronger to finally finish this feud."

Sam growled, scuffing his foot on the floor in anger. "I wanna kick his ass RIGHT now."

"Until then, we'll protect the both of you as much as we can," Erik added, his tone serious for once. "If Malix comes back, we'll be here for you two."

"Like Serenity said, you have a protection spell on you, Mika," said Matthew, trying to reassure her. "Even if Malix attacks you, he won't be able to use his magic on you. He'd be just like any other human you can fight back against."

I grinned, ruffling her hair. "We didn't take taekwando for nothing, chica."

I saw her visibly relax, making me feel more at ease as well. In some ways, she was more like my sister than a cousin. Heaven knows we looked alike enough where people made that mistake quite often. The only differences were that my hair was far more wavy, I was taller by a few inches, and my chest and hips were bigger than hers.

"Come on, hun, let's go to bed," I murmured, putting an arm around her shoulders. Looking at the boys, I added, "I'll take care of the music tomorrow, okay? No touchy."

They all chuckled slightly, but nodded. "Have a good sleep!" chirped Matthew.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

My alarm awoke me once more the next morning. Sighing, I saw up and stretched. Rising, I threw on my usual workout clothes and made my way downstairs. "May as well take care of my CDs before I get started," I murmured. Every Sunday morning, I usually took the time to just cut loose and dance like mad in my music room. It was a good workout, but it also let me vent out my frustrations and ease any tension I had.

Grabbing the two CDs from the evening before, I walked back upstairs and headed to my music room. I shut the door behind me, leaving it open a crack in case Mika wondered where I was. I put the CDs back in their spots, then perused my dance music collection. "What do I feel like today...?"

My labels for my dance music were... very eclectic. My fingers fluttered over 'Warrior Goddess', 'Old School', '90s Baby', and 'Summer Night Club' before they landed on a genre that made me pause before blushing bright red: 'Sexy Stripper'.

I hesitated, then grabbed it. "Fuck it," I mumbled, embarrassed at myself. I put it into my radio, pushing play. As it started up, I stretched my neck and arms, closing my eyes and feeling the beats wash through me.

'Check Up On It' by Beyonce was the first track, something a little slow to warm me up and get my blood pumping. I let my body move to the music on its own, being careful not to hit my book shelf. I watched myself in the wall mirror, taking note of how I moved. I'd never really understood why I enjoyed watching myself dance; when I was younger, I think it made me feel like I was in a music video or something, and the habit just stuck.

A few more songs passed by before getting to the more raunchy numbers. As the first notes of 'Flesh' by Simon Curtis hit my ears, I allowed myself a smirk. I had a bit of a guilty pleasure when it came to songs like this one; it was why I had a very skinny support beam installed in the room. Walking over to it, I let my hands glide over the pole and tossed my hair back.

As the words washed over me, I finally let completely loose and didn't even attempt to control my movements. I grinded against and spun around the pole, lightly singing along with the song. My chest was heaving from the amount of effort I was putting out, and as I glanced into the mirror, I had to admit I looked like I was getting fucked rather than dancing. Which, I guess, was mission accomplished.

As the beat of the song became faster, a small sensual gasp left my lips. I worked myself against and on the pole with even more ferocity. Flashes of James' face went through my mind and I flushed even darker than I already was. When the song ended, I laid down on the hardwood floor, gasping for air. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my heartbeat, which was going a mile a minute. I barely paid attention to the music, trying to relax myself down from the high I was feeling.

Once I'd calmed enough, I let out a sigh, rising and turning off my music. "That felt good," I said to myself. Then, I paused, grumbling as I took the CD out. "I need to start taking care of that tension better at night..."

Putting everything away, I glanced at the clock and saw it was mid-morning. Thinking, I shrugged. "May as well have breakfast..."

I headed to the kitchen and prepared myself some french toast and turkey bacon. Pouring ungodly amounts of syrup over the delicious confection, I grinned. I remembered when my Grandpa taught me how to make it all by myself; I was very proud of myself when I got it right the first go.

Chuckling at the memory, I sat at the dining room table and took out my phone, checking my Facebook, Gmail, and my Neko Atsume. All the while, I ate my late breakfast and enjoyed the general quietness. "I should probably work on that physics paper," I murmured, toying with a piece of bacon.

I shrugged, then finished up eating and headed up to my room to do just that.

A few hours later, I heard a knock at my door. Looking up from my laptop, I rubbed my eyes. "Come in!" I called.

Mika opened the door. "Hey, come check this out!"

Intrigued, I rose and followed her downstairs to the porch that looked out into the garden. My jaw dropped in surprise. Sam was being attacked by the other four boys. They aimed kicks and punches, which the brutish boy parried effortlessly. I felt my gaze drawn to James, memories of my earlier workout filling my head as I watched him. His expression was fierce, his body tensing and lashing out with the finesse of a cobra.

I glanced at Mika and noted that she was glassy-eyed like me, only she seemed to be watching Sam. I bit my lip and fought a grin, then cleared my throat, calling out to the brawling brothers.

"Hey, guys!"

They all stopped at once, seeming frozen like a bunch of statues. I laughed a bit as Mika grinned. James broke away from the group, coming towards us. The others followed behind him, Matthew wiping away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead.

"Good morning. We apologize if we woke you both up," he said, frowning a bit.

Mika and I shook our heads. "No no, it's fine. I've been up for a while now," Mika reassured them.

"Yeah, same here. It's actually lunch time, I think. Sorry for interrupting, though," I added, grinning sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"It's quite alright. We needed to stop anyway," Erik said before sending a small smirk at Sam. "We don't want to overwork Sam."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I can handle more than those pity punches."

"Your mind seems grateful we've stopped," interjected Damien, raising a brow at him.

"Shut up Damien..."

Matthew checked his watch. "Oh crap, it _is_ lunch time. We should probably make you girls some food. I'm sure you're both starving."

I shared a glance with Mika, and she nodded. "Nah, that's okay," I said.

"You all seem to be very busy training to beat Malix," she added. "We can take of it today."

"Whoa, seriously?!" asked Sam, looking pleasantly surprised.

I gasped in faux shock. "Why Sam, did you think we couldn't cook?" I asked. "You wound me. I can cook nearly as good as James."

"And I'm not useless either," Mika tacked on. "Serenity and my mom taught me how to cook and do other stuff, too."

Sam seemed to backtrack. "W-well, no, I wasn't insuating-"

Jame interrupted him, probably to keep the dork from digging himself a deeper hole. "What he means to say is that we'd be really grateful if you two could make lunch today."

Mika and I grinned, putting our arms around each other's waist. "No problem!" we said in unison.

We turned around, leaving the brothers to get back to training. When we entered the kitchen, Mika rolled up her sleeves. "Did you have anything in particular you wanted to make?"

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Something with meat or poultry might be a good idea, though, so they can have the protein."

She nodded in agreement, opening the fridge and looking inside. "Hmmm... how about sandwiches? Something filling but light, and the deli meat will give them some protein."

I nodded, rubbing my chin. "That seems reasonable. Alright, I'll get the bread, you get out the cold stuff. I'll see if I can find the chips; I always forget where they are..."

As we contructed the sandwiches, I hummed a light tune. We made the boys ham sandwiches, and Mika made her usual salami. I stacked turkey on my own, adding some dill pickles and cheese. Once we both finished, we brought the plates out into the dining room, setting them on the table. I thought for a moment, then grabbed a plate.

"I'm gonna go find James and hand him his," I said casually. "Don't want to expose him to Sam and Matthew insulting his sensibilities," I added, smiling sheepishly.

Mika laughed, grabbing an extra plate as well. "I'll go see if I can find Sam."

We parted ways, and I looked all over for James. Finally, I walked up to the library and peeked inside. Grinning, I opened the door wider. "Hi James; here's lunch!" I said brightly.

He looked up at me and set down the book he was reading, smiling. "That is very kind of you. Thank you."

I walked over and set the plate down on the table in front of the arm chairs. I plopped down in the empty one next to his and began to eat my sandwich.

As I chewed and swallowed my third bite, James looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry. I should have asked permission first before exploring the house and finding this room."

I waved his concern away. "Don't worry about it. The library was meant for people to be in it, after all," I pointed out.

"Still, you are the head of house. I sould have asked," he insisted before eating a few potato chips.

I sighed, giving him an almost exasperated smile. "It's fine, James. Really. You and your brothers live here, so any room aside from mine, Mika's, and my music room is fine to be in."

I could have sworn a small bit of pink coated his cheeks at the mention of my music room, but it faded before I had a chance to be sure it was even there. Even still, he nodded in understanding, and we sat in silence as we ate. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, loving the scent of books in the room. It was always so relaxing and calming.

As I finished eating, the silence was starting to get to me, so I looked around for something to talk about. Glancing down at the book he was reading, my brow furrowed in curiosity. Lifting it, I read the title aloud. " 'Love and Romance - A Study of Intimacy'...?"

James coughed a little, seeming nervous as he set his nearly empty plate down on the table. "Demons and humans are very different when it comes to matters of the heart," he explained. I nodded, knowing this already. "I merely wanted to try learning a little more while I had the chance. I found that while looking around the room and had only just begun reading when you came inside."

Again, I nodded. "Yeah, I've heard that love is different for demons. But how?"

He smiled, crossing his legs and getting comfy. I fought back a grin as I watched him go into 'teaching mode'.

"Love just isn't a human emotion, miss. Demons like us feel them too. In fact, incubi and succubi feel emotions the most because of our link to sexual energy," he explained. "However, we really don't experience 'love'; we know of lust and passion."

I nodded in understanding, then pointed out, "But passion drives love."

He inclined his head, noting my point, but went on. "For humans, yes. For demons, it fuels our need to breed and increase the strength of our lineage as well as quells the hunger we have for sexual energy. It's very hard for us to develop feelings from passion, despite how 'easy' it may logically seem."

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "I guess I can understand that... But surely, you hunger for more besides energy?" I asked sincerely.

Howeer, he seemed to tense at the words 'hunger' and 'energy', his arm twitching. Despite his reaction, he continued speaking. "Sexual energy is our natural food source and is one of two ways to keep us alive. In the Abyssal Plains, there are many demons to feed off of who are always willing to give their energy up, so sexual hunger is never an issue."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "In the human world, however, we've come to realize that getting energy is more difficult."

I furrowed my brow. "You could just touch a human in passing and take some energy from them, couldn't you? Or you could go to a night club and sample a little from each person."

"That only gives us so much," he explained. "A touch is merely a taste while... intimate sex is like a buffet for us."

I blushed a little, but I could see his point. Even with how the times were these days, it would be pretty hard to get someone who was willing to just spread their legs, as it were. And the ones who would be willing to do so were usually riddled with diseases or were just unappealing.

"This is why we have a mind-altering ability to 'convince' humans to give into their desires," James went on, uncrossing his legs. "It's not one hundred percent effective, but it gives us a better possibility to get what we need."

"I'm guessing the other way you lot stay alive is by eating regular food, yes?" I asked.

He nodded, but sighed. "However, we're weak without actual sexual energy. Without sexual energy, we become less than human. We have no power nor moral consciousness. We basically start to become... unfriendly."

I looked him over, noting the slight bags under his eyes and how tense he seemed. Tilting my head in curiosity, I asked, "Are you hungry now?"

James didn't reply, but simply stared at me without answering. However, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw that he was clutching the armrests of the chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. Frowning in concern, and with a light blush on my cheeks, I leaned closer to him and lightly brushed my fingers over the back of his hand.

"I know you need at least some, James," I said gently. "I'm okay with giving you a bit more. Like, no sex of course," I added, my face heating up, "but... I'm okay with other stuff... Just, take enough to stop the hunger, okay?"

Yet again, he remained silent. He seemed at a loss of what to do since I'd given him permission again. A little nervous, even; he was frozen still as a statue. His skin twitched minutely where I touched it, and he gripped the armrests even harder; I was afraid that he would tear holes in them for a moment.

I sighed, then covered his whole hand with my own before leaning in so I was nose to nose with him. I looked him dead in the eyes, serious as the plague. "Even if you have to alter my mind, James, I don't care. I just want to make sure you're okay." Then, I felt myself grin. "Now where's that confidence I like so much?"

That seemed to shock him out of it, because I felt his enthrallment fall over me once again. I shivered slightly, biting my lip. He released the armrests of the chair and gently pulled me onto his lap by my wrists. I ended up straddling him with my thighs, and a shaky breath escaped me as I saw his eyes begin to glow completely gold behind his glasses. The hunger I saw there made me feel weak in the knees, and I was thankful I was sitting.

Placing one hand behind my neck and the other on my waist, he leaned forward. "I won't go overboard," he whispered, his voice husky and deep.

A split second later, his lips were on my own and I was melting. I mindlessly placed my hands on his shoulders, a moan escaping me. The sensations coursing through me were ten times better than what I'd felt earlier when I was dancing. I felt needy and desperate, and all from just one kiss!

As his lips trailed to my neck, I lifted one hand into his hair, running my fingers through it. He groaned, and a distant part of me felt smug at the sound. _So he likes to have his hair played with_ , I thought. His kisses at my neck grew more heated, and a whimper escaped me before I could help it, and I reached a hand up to cover my mouth in embarrassment. After all, it would've been awkward if the others heard me.

James lowered his right hand to the small of my back, pulling me closer to him so we were chest to chest. My ample breasts pressed against him, and he shuddered beneath me, looking up at me hotly. All the while, I felt my energy slowly draining from me. It was so heady, like being high on weed, but soooo much better. He turned his attentions back to my neck, lavishing it with his tongue and he gripped me tightly.

I felt my thighs quiver as heat pooled in my lower regions. The man was intoxicating; enthrallment aside, he was intelligent, sly, handsome, and beyond kind. And the glasses were definitely sexy on him. I faintly noticed that his enthrallment had pulled back. The hand he had on the back of my neck trailed down my exposed collarbone to the hem of my tank top. However, he made no move to push the fabric away.

Lifting his head from my well-loved neck, he leaned his forehead against mine. Our noses nuzzled against each other, and I noticed how he was just as flustered as I was. His cheekbones were red, and his breath fanned over my lips in fast procession.

Looking at me with still heated, but no longer glowing, eyes, he said, "I won't go any further if you don't want me to..."

My pulse raced in my veins, and it took me a moment to comprehend what he said. Feeling a bold, saucy grin form on my lips, I leaned down so my lips were at his ear. "I won't tell the others if you won't~..."

And with that, he softly growled and pushed my tank top down over my bra-clad breasts, making the fabric bunch up under the lacy cups. I leaned back a bit and he moaned at the sight; it was like he was a man in a desert that had found an oasis. I felt proud of myself for picking out my black lacy undergarments this morning. I slipped my arms out of my top, letting it just sit wrapped around my waist. He groaned, quickly leaning forward to place wet kisses against the tops of my breasts, his hands lowering to my ass. I leaned my head back, gasping in pleasure as I pulled him closer. The energy drain on my body slowed quite a bit, and my head began to feel fuzzy.

"Mmm, J-James~..." I breathed. He had apparently taken his fill, but still kept going, his tongue making wet trails over the tops of my breasts and up to my collarbone. However, his tongue began to dip underneath the cups of my bra, and I tensed before shuddering and grinding my hips against his.

He growled, lightly biting my delicate skin before lifting his lips back up to mine, drawing me into a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, combing my fingers through his hair. Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. I felt so attached to him already; my heart felt so warm and delicate as I held him in my arms. I knew this was more than lust and passion, though those two were certainly abundant.

My mind began feeling even more fuzzy, and I felt like I was spinning. I gripped him tighter, trying to give him a warning that I was feeling woozy. However, the world went black before I could get a word out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

((*James P.o.V*))

I was startled out of my passionate ministrations when I felt Serenity slump against me. I tried shaking her slightly, but frowned when I realized she had passed out. "Damn," I muttered. "I took too much..."

However, I couldn't deny that I had enjoyed it immensely. This beautiful woman had such intoxicating energy, which was only enhanced by the touches of the powerful magic she had. Not only that, but she was absolutely perfect. Kind, a little sassy, intelligent, and passionate. Though I had only noticed the last one when I had passed by her music room this morning.

Seeing her dance in such a manner nearly made me fall to my knees. I honestly did not expect such a thing from her, but I was nevertheless impressed and supremely aroused by the sight. Although I did feel guilty for peeking at her through the cracked door.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I gently maneuvered her tank top back onto her chest, slipping her arms through the proper holes. I was a bit sad to see such a delectable pair of breasts covered up. I carefully rose, cradling her in my arms to carry her to her room. As I walked, I saw Sam carrying Mika and rose a brow in question, then it hit me.

Sam and I shared a look of mutual embarrassment and said nothing to each other, simply carrying our precious burdens to their rooms. I stopped outside of Serenity's door, nudging it open with my foot before walking inside. I went to set her down on her bed, but something stopped me.

Looking down, I saw that she had taken hold of the lapels on my sweater. I felt something in my heart soften as I took in the sight. I gently pried her fingers away and laid her down, tucking her in and brushing my fingers over her forehead.

I should give her something to apologize, I thought to myself as I shut her door. I pondered over what to give her, then I remembered something she had shared with me: she knew the language of flowers. I mentally went over the different types of flowers that were in the garden as I walked down the stairs, then felt a sly smile form on my slightly swollen lips.

 _The tuberoses I helped her water_ , I thought. _Those will certainly get my point across... She should know why I was unable to help myself._

With a near silent chuckle, I walked out to the garden, trying to imagine what her reaction to my gift would be.

. . . . . . . . . .

((*Serenity P.o.V*))

I felt myself begin to awaken, nestling into familiar sheets and pillows. I opened my eyes and sat up, yawning. "Mmm, that was a good nap..." I murmured, glancing at my clock; 5:40 pm. I rose my eyebrows in surprise. "Well now... and a long nap, too, it seems."

I looked down and noticed that James had fixed my shirt before putting me to bed, and I giggled. "Poor man was probably disappointed!"

Sighing, I noticed something on the pillow beside me. Turning my head, I saw a small bunch of tuberoses and a note. Smiling softly, I picked up the flowers and sniffed them. Turning my attention to the note, I lifted it and saw the most elegant script I'd ever laid eyes on.

'I apologize for indulging myself as I did. I hope you will not dislike me when you awaken. Though I offer these tuberoses as a gift... and an explanation.'

I furrowed my brow. "Explanation...?" Then, I realized: he was trying to send me a message with them! I grinned, giddy that he remembered I knew what certain flowers meant. I looked at the tuberoses, sniffing them again as I tried to recall what they signified.

After a moment, though, I blushed bright red. _Forbidden pleasures... sensuality... voluptuousness; signifying deep passion... OH MY GODS._

I nervously set the flowers down, completely flustered. _There must be at least a bakers dozen in this bunch! Oh sweet baby Jesus..._

I fanned myself, trying to calm down. After a few minutes, I took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, chill out, you got this. Find your center, Serenity!" I pep-talked. After all, I still had to eat dinner with them; I really didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. Or his brothers and my cousin.

Walking downstairs, I noticed it was pretty silent still. I walked into the dining room to see only Mika sitting there, eating her dinner alone. "Hey girly; where are the boys?" I asked, sitting down at the untouched plate of food that I assumed was for me.

"Oh, they're still outside training," she answered, lifting a forkful of stir-fried chicken and rice. "Where've you been?"

I flushed slightly. "...napping. You?"

She cleared her throat, a bit of pink on her cheeks as well. "Same..."

We ate in silence for a bit, but when I was halfway done, I just had to address the elephant in the room. "Okay, I was napping because James and I kind of made out and he needed to feed."

Mika relaxed a bit. "...me and Sam..."

I chuckled, blushing a bit. "He is pretty cute, in like a grunge, punk rock kind of way. I can see why you like him; he seems like your type."

Mika laughed, lifting her glass and taking a drink. As she set it down, she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "And you and James, hm? Dear lord, you two must have had a battle of wits or something. You're both very smart, and have that kind of 'alpha' attitude."

We erupted into girlish giggles, finishing up our dinner as we gushed about our experiences. When we were done, we brought our dishes into the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher. We retired into Mika's room to play some video games; it was one of the few things that we got truly competitive over, but it was so much fun to play them together. After five rounds on Mario Cart, I ruffled her hair before getting off the floor.

"Sorry, kiddo, but I've got to go finish up a physics paper," I said, stretching. "I'll see you in the morning. I don't have a class until a half hour after school starts for you; if Naomi and Suzu don't pick you up, I'll drive you, okay?"

At her nod, I bid her goodnight and went back to my room. It took me a few more hours to finish my paper, but I printed it out and stashed it in my messenger bag, ready to hand it in tomorrow morning. Stripping down, I plopped into bed and fell asleep instantly.

When my alarm went off the next morning, I didn't feel as blah as I usually did in the mornings. I felt calm, and ready to face the day with enthusiasm. I jumped up out of bed, humming as I picked out my clothes for the day. I dragged out another matching set of undergarments and filtered through my closet. I felt like wearing a dress, something elegant and flowy.

Pulling out a pale yellow, knee-length boho dress, I nodded. "This will do."

I pulled on my clothes quickly before brushing my hair and heading to the bathroom to take care of my teeth. When I went back to my room, I slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed my bag before heading downstairs.

Mika was there when I entered the dining room and I gave her a grin. "Morning, hun."

"Morning! Look at what Sam made me," she said, pointing to her breakfast.

I smiled and ruffled her hair before noticing another plate with food. Noting the tuberoses next to the glass of OJ, I blushed. "Looks like James made me something too..."

I sat down and eyed the crepes in front of me. There were blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries covering them. A light dusting of powdered sugar made the dish look very fancy, and a small container of syrup sat near my fork.

"I swear, they're trying to spoil us," I mumbled, pouring the syrup.

Mika laughed. "I certainly don't mind; I think it's sweet."

I rolled my eyes, but agreed. "True; though I'm itching to do something for James in return. It's not fair to him if he's the one always doing stuff for me."

Mika sighed, giving me a look of exasperation. "Serenity, you need to learn to let people take care of you for a change. You're always acting like a mama wolf to everyone. Let James be the alpha a little."

I sighed, but nodded. "Alriiiiight..."

Just then, her phone vibrated once, signalling a text. Reading it, she grinned before looking up at me. "Suzu and Naomi are here; I got a text from them earlier when I woke up. They're going to bring me to and from school from now on."

I smiled, nodding. "Alright. Though they'll have to let me be a proper big cousin and drive you sometimes, too. You have a good day, kiddo. And if Lisette starts talking shit, you just remind her I exist and that I know where she gets her hair done. I will find a way to swap out the shampoo for lime green hair dye. Just watch."

That got a laugh from Mika, and after giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek, she was out of the dining room and on her way out.

Shaking my head, I finished my breakfast and eyed the tuberoses next to my plate. Feeling something come over me, I took one flower and broke it off, placing it behind my ear. I took one of the bobby pins holding my bangs back and secured the flower so it wouldn't fall.

Rising, I took care of both mine and Mika's dishes, sticking them in the sink for now. Shouldering my bag, I checked the clock and decided that I should head out myself. When I got to the front doors, I felt a hand take hold of mine, and I turned in surprise to see James standing there.

He looked a little concerned, and I grew worried. However, before I could ask, he spoke. "My name..."

"Your name?" I questioned.

"As you probably figured, my true name isn't James," he answered. "I want you to know it in case something were to happen."

My eyes widened; he would trust me with his true name? I felt my heart flutter in my chest, and I nodded. "Okay..." I said quietly, suddenly shy.

Stepping closer, he held me to him loosely, his lips at my ear. "My name is Raestrao," he whispered.

I shivered, feeling the power in his name. He pulled back, still holding my hand as he smiled, though the concern was still in his eyes. "If you are in any danger, call my name. I promise that I'll come and help you."

I nodded, making him smile a little wider before gently kissing my hand and head into the dining room. When he got to the entrance, though, he paused, looking back at me with a sly grin. "I'm glad to see you liked the flowers, Lady Serenity..."

I blushed brightly, making him chuckle lowly as he finally went into the dining room. I fanned myself in an effort to cool down, heading out the front doors.

The drive to campus was uneventful, as were my classes during the day. I sighed, content with everything. I packed up my things, done with my last class of the day. As I headed out to the parking lot, I put my headphones in my ears, listening to the Trans Siberian Orchestra play 'Carol of the Bells'. Right when I was about to unlock my car, something hit me in the back of the head, causing me to pass out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When I finally regained consciousness, I blinked my eyes open. Everything was bleary for a moment, then it all came into focus. I felt my hands and ankles tied together with strong rope. I grunted, then realized that I had something tied around my mouth to keep me from screaming. I growled, looking around, before my gaze came to a stop on the person next to me.

Mika was next to me, kneeling on the ground and glaring up at someone. When I looked, I saw it was Malix. I growled louder behind my gag, thrashing about and trying to get loose from my bindings.

Malix looked over at me with a smirk. "Ahhhh, the witch bitch is awake! Finally, now it's a party!" He cackled madly. "I'm sure those little shits will come running to find you two wastes of space when they realize you two didn't return to your precious little mansion. They'll search everywhere!"

Malix then raised his hands, a gun in each of them, and aimed at our heads. "It'll be so funny when they find your dead bodies instead~..."

I held my ground, knowing that his guns wouldn't hurt either of us due to the protection spells we had. When he tried pulling the triggers, nothing happened. I smirked behind my gag, laughing.

Malix glared at me before slapping me across the face. He ripped off the gag. "What is the meaning of this?!"

I grinned ferally. "You can't hurt us that way, fucktard," I bragged. "Protection spells, remember? Mine is tattooed right into my skin, too, so you won't be able to remove it."

Malix growled, the other devils around us laughing at his frustration. "SHUT UP!" he yelled. He shot the gun in his right hand, killing one of the devils. I felt my stomach turn as I saw it deform and melt into the floor. I shuddered, looking away to glare at Malix once more.

"Anyone ELSE wanna laugh at me?! HUH?!"

He looked at me, then at Mika. A slow grin formed on his lips. "Eris... remove the barrier on the short one... NOW."

I began to thrash around. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Malix punched my cheek, knocking me over. As I hit the floor, Mika and I spoke at the same time.

"Aomaris!"

"R-Raestrao," I bit out, my jaw hurting like hell.

Suddenly, a bright flash of purple light engulfed the room, carrying a powerful wind with it. Malix, Eris, and the rest of the devils covered themselves, trying to protect their eyes. I myself had to squint so I wouldn't end up seeing spots. As the wind and light faded away, I looked to see that Sam and James had come. James had a long, golden pistol aimed at the back of Malix's head, and Sam had tackled Eris to the ground. Both looked intensely pissed off. James looked at me, and I let out a breath of relief.

"It's alright now," he said.

"We've gotcha, girls," Sam finished.

I grinned, then winced at how the action pulled at my sore cheek. Jame looked at me carefully, then I saw his nostrils flare, his eyes locked onto my cheek. Heaven knows I probably had a bruise forming there by now; it sure felt swollen enough.

Malix was frozen, knowing that if he moved even one muscle, James would shoot him. And with Sam holding Eris down, the devil had no one to help him. The other devils had fled when they saw the two incubi, knowing that they would have better chances to live if they escaped.

"Well, it seems like I finally have your cooperation, Malix. It took long enough," James drawled smoothly.

"Feh, I'd rather have just kicked his ass regardless," scoffed Sam.

Eris managed to get out from under him, and I saw Mika watch them as they fought. I knew Sam would be able to beat her easily. I then let my attention go back to James and Malix as the devil spoke.

"Hehehehe, you piece of demon shit. I could shoot you right now."

"And what's stopping me from shooting you first?" James asked, his voice light, though it didn't lose any of its commanding tone. "If you so much as flinch, I will pull this trigger and end you once and for all. It would be well-deserved punishment for hitting a woman like Serenity."

I blushed, glancing away for a moment. _Aww... he does care..._

Malix growled, frustrated at the stalemate he found himself in. "What IS stopping you, pretty boy?"

James shrugged slightly. "Just me wanting to do this."

A split second later, James quickly shot Malix's hands, making the devil drop the guns he was holding. He cried out in agony, holding his bleeding appendages to his chest. "Grrahh! YOU SON OF A BITC-!"

Before Malix could finish that statement, James shoved the end of his gun barrel against the devil's head. "I didn't say you could speak. Do you want me to shoot you in the throat?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Malix only growled in response.

I couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit aroused as I watched him. Such a deadly being cared about me and was this pissed about me being in harms way. It was supremely flattering, and I bit my lip in an effort to control myself.

"Now, I am going to give you three seconds to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness or the next bullet goes through your pathetic Hell-borne skull."

Okay, yeah, control was not something I was going to have anytime soon. Sweet baby Jesus...

Malix paused for a moment, but relented and got down on his knees. When he finally got into position, though, he wrapped his arms around James' leg and bit him hard.

"GAHH!"

"James!" I called out in concern, my voice shaking slightly.

At the sound of my voice, James shot Malix in the back, making the red-skinned asshole unclench his teeth in shock and pain. He trembled as blood seeped out of his newest wound. He seemed frozen with pain, and James lifted his leg out of Malix's hold and kicked him to the side.

"Disobedient to the very end, huh?" questioned James, getting slightly louder so he could be heard over the sounds of Sam and Eris's fight. With a quick glance over at the younger incubus, I saw that he was starting to have some issues. Eris had shoved a gun of her own into Sam's mouth.

The brothers then glanced at each other, nodding slightly. As soon as they each looked back at their oponents, the air seemed to ring with static, then went completely still. I was afraid to even breath too loud. My eyes went from one brother to the next, and back again.

Sam had begun to bite down on Eris's gun as she pulled the trigger. His eyes were glowing a bright golden color that was familiar, and pieces of the gun went everywhere. Eris looked absolutely petrified now, and before she could blink, Sam let out a loud, animalistic growl, tackling her to the ground.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Mika and I both flinched at the sound, and I faintly noted that his voice had changed. It reverberated more, having a slight echo that was at least two octaves lower than his usual voice. He began beating Eris relentlessly, and I averted my eyes.

As I looked back at James, he met my eyes, frowning apologetically. "Please, forgive me for this."

I didn't get the chance to ask what on earth he was talking about before he turned back to Malix. His eyes began to glow golden as well as he lifted Malix by his shirt collar, pulling him off the ground and dangling him in the air.

"It's high time you discover the true power of demons," he said, his own voice different as well. If the situation hadn't been quite so dire, I would have found the sound of it quite sexy.

His appearance began to shift, and as it did, the other incubi had arrived. Damien went to cover Mika's eyes so she wouldn't see Sam, and Erik moved to do the same to me. I shook my head, though, my gaze firm.

"I'm not a fool, Erik," I murmured. "Nor am I weak or easily sick. I deserve to see this."

He hesitated, but nodded in defeat. "Let me untie you, at least, princess..."

I nodded, then turned my gaze back to watch James. He stood proud, no longer looking like a human, but like his true self. Golden yellow horns and matching markings on his skin. His legs were mostly covered by flat golden yellow, along with his feet, lower arms, and hands. I blushed a little, noticing that we was naked.

 _Oh my_ , I thought to myself, sitting up as Erik finished untying me. I watched in awe as James cast multiple spells upon Malix's body, each of them making his form deminish and/or making him weaker.

"LET ME GO!" the devil growled, struggling more and more.

"As you wish." James gave Malix one final glare, the golden glow in his gaze growing brighter. He growled, baring his teeth and chanting Latin in a guttural tone, preventing me from truly understanding what he was saying. Malix began to scream in agony; whatever spell James had cast, it caused the devil to hover in midair as his limbs were pulled in different directions. I heard the sickening cracks and snaps of his bones being disconnected, before he finally disintegrated.

The echo of his screams died out in the empty warehouse, and I didn't dare look at the mess Sam had most likely made; I may have a strong stomach, but I did want to be able to eat tonight without having that memory in my head.

I heard Sam panting harshly, every now and again a growl escaping him. He walked towards James, and I politely kept my gaze above his waist; I had to admit, though, his demon form was amazing as well. His horns did kinda look like bike handles, though...

Sam chuckled, having calmed a little more as he crossed his arms. "Geez, James. I haven't seen you pull that trick since that intruder in Demon Castle."

"It couldn't have been helped," he replied, looking away. He glanced to my left, raising a brow. "...you made a mess, Sam."

"Shut up."

Erik sighed from behind me. "Well, either way, you've both lost your glamour spells."

"Well, not for long!" piped up Matthew. I watched as he pulled out a couple of small bottles. "I kept extra just in case!"

As he walked towards his brothers, I shakily got to my feet. Erik's arms helped steady me, then let me go when I had settled myself. I heard Damien speaking to Mika, most likely answering the multiple questions going through her head. I paid no mind, simply walking up to James and crossing my arms loosely.

He wouldn't meet my gaze, and I sighed, smiling gently. "Ja-... Raestrao," I amended, making him glance up at me, "you have nothing to be ashamed of, okay?" I reached out a hand and cupped his cheek, smiling wider when he nuzzled into my palm. "And to be quite honest," I added, stepping closer so my lips were at his ear, "I kind of like the horns and markings."

I leaned back and gave him a wink, making his eyes widen in shock as he blushed slightly. Giving me a boyish grin, he lifted the potion bottle to his lips and downed it. His demon form began to melt away, and his more familiar appearance returned. The air began to warm back up to its original temperature, and I heard Sam guzzle down his own potion as well. I looked back at Mika and saw that Damien had uncovered her eyes; she looked pale as a ghost, and I rushed over to her in concern, helping her stand.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked. "Neither of them hurt you before I woke up, did they?"

She shook her head, then frowned as she looked at my throbbing cheek. "Are you okay? I don't know how strong devils are, but he looked like he slapped and punched you pretty hard..."

I suddenly felt a warm hand turning my head. "Let me see," murmured James. He felt around my cheek and jaw carefully, but I couldn't help wincing as he touched a few areas. He pursed his lips, traces of rage still in his gaze. "Your muscles are just bruised. When we return to the mansion, I want you to put some ice on this."

I nodded, then my eyes widened. "Oh crap, my car! It's still at the college..."

Matthew chuckled, sounding a bit nervous. "Uh, actually... I may have 'stolen' it while we were looking for you guys...It's right outside."

I gaped, then chuckled. "It's okay, Matthew... As long as she looks the same as when I left her. That car is my baby."

He gave me a wide grin and a thumbs up. "Yeah, it's all good."

Sam had come up to Mika as we spoke, placing a hand on the small of her back to steady her. He glanced at James, and I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Let's get you ladies home, shall we?" he asked, offering me his arm once more. I nodded, linking my arm around his and resting my head against him.

. . . . . . . . .

I had driven Mika, Sam, and James home, while the other three used the van that Mika had apparently been captured with. We parked and got out, heading inside and letting out a breath in relief. A thought niggled at me from the back of my head: the boys were originally only going to stay until Malix was gone. Biting my lip, I glanced up at James. I didn't want them to go; and I knew that Mika didn't, either. I certainly wasn't blind to the way she kept giving cow eyes to Sam.

Clearing my throat, I clapped my hands together once. "Well, how about we all get some rest?" I suggested. "Today has been very long and stressful."

Mika nodded, a wry smirk on her lips. "Yeah, that's for sure... First Lisette, then kidnapped."

I rose a brow in question. "Mind telling me what happened with the she-weasel?"

Mika blushed slightly, looking away. "Well, uh... I may have finally snapped and beaten her up..."

I saw Sam cover his mouth to hide his chuckles, but I could still hear them a little. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "...will I end up getting a call from Uncle David?"

"...maybe."

I closed my eyes, counting to ten before letting out a long, slow breath. "...okay, fine, I'll deal with it tomorrow. But," I added, giving her a scolding glare, "no more fights, eh? You're graduating in a couple of months."

Mika nodded, looking properly chastised, and I relaxed a bit. Turning to the boys, I grinned. "Well, you all better get some sleep, too. Since you're all able to get out of the house, there's a few places I wanna have Mika and I show you. You'll all love the arcade and the mall..."

I trailed off, waiting for them to finally understand that I didn't want them to leave. Mika picked up on my hint and smiled at Sam, taking his hand. "Yeah, and there's also this gym where Serenity and I spar sometimes; they have literally everything."

All at once, they seemed to get what we were hinting at. Their grins were nearly blinding, and I couldn't help but giggle. However, my cheek decided to remind me that it was injured, and I let out a small whimper. "Ow..."

James immediately put an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get some ice on that, shall we?"

I nodded and let him guide me towards the kitchen, leaving the others behind in the lobby. When we entered, he surprised me by picking me up by my waist and setting me on the island counter. "Sit here," he ordered gently. "I'll get the ice."

"Thank you," I murmured, blushing a little. _If this is what it feels like to be taken care of, I guess I don't mind..._

He smiled at me and then went through the drawers before finding a dish towel. Heading over to the freezer, he pulled out a few ice cubes from the bucket and wrapped them in the towel before stepping in front of me.

"Alright, hold still..."

I winced at first when the cold towel touched my face, then relaxed as the pain began to go away. I placed my left hand over the one he used to hold the towel. "Thank you, James..."

"My pleasure, Serenity," he murmured, lifting my free hand to kiss it. He paused, then furrowed his brow, looking away. "About what happened at the warehouse-"

"Nope."

He looked at me in surprise, raising a brow. "...'nope'?"

I nodded. "Nope. I'm not going to hear any apologies from you, James," I said firmly. "You did what you had to do. If you didn't, who knows what would've happened to Mika and I? You and Sam both did what was necessary; I'm sure my little cousin is telling him the same thing right now."

He seemed to relax, giving me a grateful smile. "You are an absolutely wonderful woman, Serenity. I'm so happy that you want us to stay here; that you both want us to stay here."

"I'm happy that you want to stay," I replied, a soft smile on my lips.

However, the moment became ruined when my stomach growled. Loudly. I gaped, blushing in mortification as James laughed.

"Before you go to bed, perhaps a small dinner?" he suggested, his whiskey eyes alight with mirth.

"Y-yeah... Is there any leftover Italian pasta salad?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "There should be; that is, if Damien didn't get to it first. He may not have pasta very often, but he will indulge when I make that particular dish..."

He went over to the fridge, and I lightly swung my legs in the air, feeling very much like a little girl again. I held the makeshift ice pack to my cheek, adjusting it a little as James let out a pleased mumble.

"Aha. Here we go." He pulled out a small container that was filled to the brim. I bounced a little in excitement as he grabbed a fork from the drawer before opening the container and walking back to me.

"Since you need to hold that to your cheek, I'll feed you," he said.

I felt my face heat up. "U-uh, you d-don't have to, J-James..."

He smirked at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You needn't be embarrassed; after all, I'm the only one here aside from you."

I closed my mouth, at a loss for words. After a moment, I relented, giving him a half-serious glare. "You are incorrigible sometimes..."

He only laughed, lifting a forkful of noodles to my mouth. "I just know how to get what I want."

I rolled my eyes, choosing not to respond.

He fed me in silence, and when the pasta was gone, I let out a contented sigh. "Mmmm... I swear, you really need to teach me how to make that..."

James glanced at me over his shoulder as he quickly washed the fork, container, and lid in the sink. "When we have the ingredients for it again, I'll teach you," he promised.

"Awesome!" I grinned wide, then winced. "Ow..."

James finished up and stepped over to me, concern coloring his features. "Be careful, Serenity... I don't want you to be in more pain."

I blushed, looking at him from under my eyelashes. "Awww, you do care."

He lifted my chin, making me meet his eyes. "I do indeed. Far more than I probably should," he confessed.

I looked at him in surprise, unable to speak. He smiled a little at my flustered expression, then lifted me off the counter by my hips before swinging me up into his arms, carrying me princess-style. "Come; let's get you in bed, hm?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next morning, I awoke with my cheek throbbing. I hadn't bothered to set my alarm; I had no classes today, and I was bloody exhausted. I yawned carefully, sitting up and wincing at the feeling of my bra still digging into my skin. "Ugh... that's it, I'm breaking out the sports bra today... I'm going athleisure."

I got up and dug out a pair of sweats, boy short panties, and a padded sports bra. I stripped out of my old clothes, tossing them in the wash before putting on my more comfy clothes. I relaxed and stretched, feeling so much better. With a spring in my step, I padded barefoot downstairs and into the dining room. As I passed by the clock in the lobby, I noticed that Mika would have already left for school.

Shrugging, I stepped lightly into the dining room and smiled at the boys. "Morning!"

They murmured in reply, and I noticed that they seemed troubled by something. Frowning, I plopped down in the open chair next to James. "What's wrong, guys? You all look like your puppy just got taken away to the pound..."

They all sighed at once, and I knew it had to be bad. I looked at James, silently begging me to tell him what was wrong. He hesitated, but aquiesced. "A succubus that our father had arranged for one of us to marry is here in the human world; she accosted Mika in her room last night and showed up this morning at breakfast."

I felt my eye twitch. "Should I find a way to tailor the household wards to keep her out?"

Sam scoffed. "Nah; she can't do anything to us. She'll give up eventually; she can't make us return to the demon world."

I froze, then looked back at James. "She wants to take you all back?" I asked in a small whisper.

He nodded, but quickly reassured me. "Yes, but like Sam said, she can't make us go with her."

I sat there for a moment, thinking it over. "...is she the reason why you all left?"

They all glanced at each other, and I sighed. "Guys, please... I want the whole truth about this," I said. "Like it or not... I'm kind of involved now. And so is Mika. We both need to know what is going on; though she'll have to wait till she gets home, I suppose."

James sighed, but nodded. "You're right. You deserve to know; you both do." He paused, looking like he was trying to find the right words. Then, he explained. "The five of us are the only children of the Demon Lord. I was his heir; Erik, Sam, and Matthew were nobles; and Damien..." He hesitated, and the aforementioned boy spoke up.

"I am technically a bastard child," he admitted, wincing a bit. "The Demon Lord sired me out of wedlock."

I gaped, then turned to James as he continued. "We all had our reasons for wanting to leave. But it was Damien who actually found a way to do so," he said, sending his youngest brother a smile. "An elderly human began speaking to him; in turn, he told the rest of us about this amazing human who would help demons. When we had everything ready, we and the human performed the Gateway Spell. That is how we came here."

I sat back in my chair, my eyes wide. "Wow... who was able to bring you over?"

"...your grandfather."

I gasped, my eyes widening further. My thoughts were racing in my hea _d. When did he do this?! Why didn't he tell me?! That spell is so dangerous, though! Why didn't he let me help?!_

Damien leaned forward, no doubt hearing the turmoil in my thoughts. "He didn't want to tell you; he knew the spell would drain him. We offered him some of our energy to help him power the spell. He didn't want to put you at risk."

I slumped, folding my arms on the table and resting my head on top of them. "...what happened after you all came here?"

"Your grandfather gave us some money, fake IDs and passports, a couple of maps, and told us to go out and see and experience the world," answered James, a touch of affection in his tone. "He was a kind man..."

I nodded, my eyes tearing up even as I smiled. Raising my head, I chuckled. "Y-yeah... that sounds like him..."

James scooted his chair closer, placing an arm around my shoulders. I rested my head against his shoulder, letting my tears fall silently. "...I miss him..."

The other boys left the dining room, giving James and I some privacy. When they had gone, James, kissed the top of my head. "I know," he murmured, rubbing my arm. "I admit that we miss him as well, though we only knew him for a short time."

"When did he help you guys through?"

"Hmm... six months ago, I believe," he answered. "A week before All Hallows Eve."

I thought back, trying to see if I could remember anything strange that my Grandpa had done. Closing my eyes, I frowned. "He had been spending a lot of time in the Workshop with the Moonbath for a few weeks prior to that... I suppose that was when he was talking to you all."

We sat in silence for a bit, and I enjoyed the feeling of his arm around me. After a few minutes, I sighed, looking up at him. "Let's do something fun. Do you know how to play chess?"

James perked up, smiling. "Indeed I do; it was one of the first games I'd played upon entering this world."

I gave him a smirk. "Do you think you can beat me? Be careful how you answer, cuz I've been playing for years... Not even Grandpa could beat me after awhile."

James leaned forward, his nose brushing mine as his eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?" he asked, his voice slightly husky.

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. "Maybe. Do you got what it takes to beat me, or no?" I asked, suddenly bold.

James only chuckled, his eyes gaining a faintly golden undertone. "Oh, believe me, I do," he answered before giving me a quick kiss.

I gasped lightly as I felt him take a small bit of energy from me. I then grinned, shaking my head. "Tsk tsk, James. You only get more energy if you win, darlin'." I stood, putting my hands on my hips. "If I win... you let me wear your glasses for the rest of the day."

James quickly stood, taking my hand and leading me upstairs to the library; there was a small table with a board set up inside. It was where my Grandpa and I would play together. Upon entering the room, he shut and locked the door, ensuring that we wouldn't be interrupted. Without another word, he guided me to the chair on the white side of the board, and he took the black side. I took in his expression and felt a shiver run down my spine when I saw that his eyes had turned more golden than whiskey brown.

"You go first," he all but growled.

I nodded, then looked down at the board. Picking one of my pawns, I moved it forward two spaces. And with that our match began. We traded turns for a few minutes in silence, but as it started to get to me, I decided to play a little game of twenty questions.

"Hey James, what's your favorite kind of music?"

He looked up at me in surprise, but smiled and answered. "I prefer classical pieces. They have an elegance that isn't found in other kinds of music."

I nodded, moving one of my rooks. "Understandable. I like it too, but I've recently been on an orchestral slash relaxed techno kick. Something about combining techno sounds with classical instruments makes it sound otherworldly."

James chuckled, carefully placing one of his knights. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

I shrugged, considering the board. "I've been curious about you since the day you all got here, to be honest. I just haven't had a real opportunity to pin you down and ask all about you until now," I admitted, finally moving a pawn.

He made a sound of understanding. "How about an exchange of information, then?" he suggested. "You're not the only one who is curious."

I nodded, grinning. "I'm up for that."

With a quiet chuckle, he moved his king. "So, tell me about your family," he said. "Mika is your cousin, of course; but what about your aunt and uncle? And your parents?"

I froze for a split second, my hand twitching as it hung over one of my bishops. "O-oh. My uncle, as you could probably tell, is very... proper. He likes things to be perfect and if something doesn't suit his standards, he either starts fixing it right away or gets frustrated beyond belief. My aunt is very sweet, the typical mother hen type. She enjoys knitting and baking, and likes to bird watch when she has the chance."

As he moved his queen, taking out one of my pawns, I let out a shaky breath. "M-my parents... They passed away when I was twelve," I murmured. "They were in a plane crash when they were going to India for a small vacation. That's why I live here; my Grandpa took me in when they passed. I don't think my uncle would have been able to handle taking me; he was very torn up. My dad was his brother, and they were supremely close. Almost like Mika and I are."

James frowned, reaching across the board to cup my uninjured cheek. "I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have asked..."

I laid my hand over his, gently shaking my head. "No no, it's fine. It's gotten a little easier as time has passed. The pain doesn't fade, but it becomes easier to bear."

He nodded in understanding, softly sliding his hand down my cheek before pulling it back. I looked down at the board and grinned suddenly. I moved my second bishop and took out his queen, looking up at him with a slightly smug expression.

"Lost your queen, darlin'."

A peculiar expression darted over his face before he smirked at me in return. "Oh, but I haven't lost. Don't celebrate just yet."

I giggled, setting his queen down next to the pawns I had taken from him. "Alright. My turn to ask something, wasn't it?" I checked, seeing him nod. "Hmmm... What's your favorite season so far?"

"Autumn. The colors are so beautiful," he answered immediately. "We were in Massachusetts during All Hallows Eve, and I could not believe how amazing everything looked. The colors in the trees mixed with the colonial architecture made for a beautiful sight."

I smiled fondly at his expression; he looked like a starry-eyed little boy. "It sounds lovely. I'll have to find a way to go this autumn so I can see it for myself."

Again, the same peculiar look flashed across his face before quickly disappearing. "Since you know the language of flowers," he started, "do you have a favorite?"

This was something I had to think about really hard. "Huh... well," I started, "I've always loved white roses; simply for their beauty and the softness of the petals. But one that I find both beautiful and intriguing in its meaning is the lotus. The stem and leaves are strong as heck, but the petals are delicate and fragrant. They stand for both mystery, and truth. I can appreciate duality like that."

"From a philosophical standpoint," I continued, "they strike something in me. In India, the lotus stands for immortality. And no two things are more timeless than truth and mystery. There will always be mysteries to be solved, and truth can never change."

James nodded, glancing up at me from the board. "I agree." After a moment, he let out a quiet chuckle. "You have to be the most intelligent woman I've ever had the pleasure to meet."

I blushed, grinning sheepishly. "Oh gosh, I'm not that smart..."

"No, you really are," he insisted. Then, he paused, before looking up at me with a triumphant grin. "However, I believe this is checkmate."

I gaped, then looked down at the chess board. I studied our piece placements, then furrowed my brow and grumbled.

"Dammit... so close..." I mumbled, crossing my arms. I sighed, then leaned back in my chair. "Okay, I surrender. You win."

James only chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine as he rose. He took my hand and pulled me up, wrapping his arms around me. "Now, I believe we made a deal...?"

I blushed, but nodded. My hands were against his chest as he pulled me so close that my hips were against his. "Y-yeah... C-can we, uh, go to my room to do that, though...? That way you don't need to carry me again if I, uh... pass out..."

He rubbed his nose against mine, a sly grin on his lips. "Alright."

Suddenly, shadows surrounded us, and when they disappeared, we were in my room. I looked around in shock, then grinned. "Holy crap, you have got to teach me how to do that!"

He only gave me a warm smile, which quickly turned sensual. "Oh, I have quite a few things I'd like to teach you..."

My eyes widened and I started panting slightly. _Fuck..._

. . . . . . . . . .

Things were going well as we made out once more, but when a high-pitched sound came from Mika's room, we stopped and gathered ourselves before rushing over. The other boys came running as well. When we opened the door, we saw Mika laying there in her bed in frightened shock. I rushed over to her, checking her over with fluttering hands. "Are you okay? Why aren't you at school?"

She didn't say anything, but looked at Damien. Most likely showing him what had occurred by leaving her mind completely open. The ginger-haired boy narrowed his eyes before looking around at all of us.

"Diana sent her back here. She invaded her school and sent all the students back home."

I growled, balling my fists. Sam groaned, running his hand through his hair. "What is that bitch up to? Seriously! Diana's playing around for no reason."

"Maybe it's part of her plan..." Matthew suggested.

I grumbled. "If she tries to come at me, boy will she have another thing coming. She's not going to force you guys back to the Demon realm. Not on my watch."

Mika looked at me in jealous curiosity, and I sighed. Taking James' hand, I looked at the rest of the boys. "You all promised me that you'd explain everything to her. I'm cashing that promise in. You four tell her what's up. James and I are going to check the perimeter and make sure that this stubborn succubus isn't on the grounds."

They nodded, and Damien sat on her bed, placing his fingers at her temples. Without listening to another word, I nearly dragged James out of the room and all the way outside. After a few moments, we made it to the garden gazebo.

I stopped and slumped a bit where I stood, letting go of his hand and sitting on the bench. "...if she comes and offers to marry you and leave the others alone as long as you go back with her, would you...?" I asked lowly, not looking at him.

I felt James sit beside me. "No. I wouldn't," he answered quietly. "I won't leave my brothers... and I won't leave you."

I glanced at him, letting out a shaky breath before looking away again. "...almost everyone important to me has left me in some way. My parents, my Grandpa; dead. My uncle mostly thinks I'm a disgrace; my aunt kind of treats me like I'm made of glass. Mika was the only person I care about that treated me like I was someone worth knowing." I paused, glancing at him once more. "Until you," I whispered.

I saw him blush lightly, then furrow his brow as he placed a hand on my chin, turning me to face him. "...you care for me?" he asked quietly, looking shocked, confused, and elated.

I sighed, glancing down. "Yes. I do. Far more than I thought would be possible after just a few days," I admitted. "You're intelligent, witty, sometimes playful, a wonderful chef, funny, and you have this commanding aura that makes me feel cared for in a way that I've never experienced before."

I paused, blushing before continuing. "Everyone who knows me well knows that I never submit to anyone, whether it be by taking care of me, or... other things," I added in a low mumble. "But... I would let you do both... and I have no problems with that. Actually... I kind of like it."

I heard him draw in a sharp breath, and I looked up at him to see his eyes were golden yet again, his cheeks flushed pink. "You are the most wonderful woman I've ever met," he breathed. "You challenge me and match me in ways I thought were impossible before meeting you. You, Serenity, have the most beautiful mind, body, and soul I've ever encountered."

I was sure that I resembled a giant tomato by the time he finished talking. Smiling up at him sheepishly, I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced away. "You know... I think I may be falling in love with you," I finally admitted.

As the words left my mouth, I suddenly felt him pull me closer and place his lips on my own. I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting out a small moan. After a few seconds, he pulled back, a tender look on his face. "I may not know how 'love' feels... but if what I'm experiencing is not it, then I truly don't know if I'll ever find out," he murmured.

I felt a few tears of happiness fall down my face and I laughed. "Shut up and kiss me, smartypants," I teased.

He did so, and I could have sworn I heard footsteps walking away from us. However, I soon lost all coherent thought as James' hands lifted me onto his lap and tightly squeezed my ass.

 _Gods, how did I get so lucky...?_

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((*Mika P.o.V*))

After what seemed like hours, I finally woke up. I didn't realize that Damien had taken so much energy just to show me that vision. I closed my eyes, seeing flashes of it right before my eyes. Opening them, I pursed my lips. They had said that Serenity had been told this morning; I wondered how she felt about all of this. She was attached to James in the same way I was attached to Sam.

And speak of the demon...

I sat up and saw him sitting next to my bed in the arm chair I had there. A yawn escaped his lips as he woke up, too. I wouldn't help but smile at his even more messy hair and tired eyes as he looked at me.

"Oh, you're awake..." He paused, yawning once more. "How do you feel?"

"Better," I said, patting a spot on my bed.

He came and sat, looking down at my powder blue bedspread. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm such an idiot. If I was stronger, you wouldn't be like this..."

I shook my head, furrowing my brow. "Sam, it's not your fault-"

"No. It's my fault. It's OUR fault. Look at you: you're in bed, again, after us using our powers, AGAIN, and you're a target, AGAIN, because of us. You and Serenity both." He sighed, looking away. "We never should have come..."

I quickly reached over, turning his head to face me as I frowned. "Sam... it's okay. We wanted to help you guys out. We offered to let you all stay. Nothing is your fault."

I gently stroked his cheek, not wanting him to feel guilty over this. It wasn't his fault that Diana was desperate to get to them. She would have most likely hunted anyone down if it meant getting close to them. It wasn't his fault that she didn't know when to take a hint.

He paused, then sighed, slouching. After a moment, I grew curious. "So, Sam, you're a noble?"

He looked up at me, his voice slightly cold as he answered. "I was a noble. I'm not a noble anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"I was the third son of the Demon Lord," he explained. "My brothers and I lived together in the castle as nobility, but since James was the oldest, James became royalty and was heir to the throne. The whole situation became one gigantic, boring mess, so we all grouped together and left to come here. Once that happened, we surely lost the chance to ever get forgiveness."

I tilted my head, hanging on his every word. "What was it like while you were there?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Like I said: one gigantic boring mess. Erik, Matthew, and I were there as replacements in case James fucked up. Since Erik was before me, and my dad was a dickbag, I wasn't ever liekly to get the throne, so I just spent my days lazing about and not giving two shits about anything. Not even my mom could control me."

"Your mom?" I asked, scooting a bit closer.

He nodded, faint traces of a smile on his lips. "Yeah. She's not like my asshole of a dad. She was actually caring and kind, but was a pushover." He let out a small laugh, a look of nostalgia crossig his features.

"She always thought I could be more than I was, but my dad definitely made sure I knew my place. In response, I became the rebel son, hanging out with the commoner demons and such just to piss my dad off. I swear, I'm surprised he didn't kill me out of shame."

I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. "That's horrible!"

He stared at me in shock, then relaxed and ruffled my hair with a sigh. "Don't even worry about it. You need rest. You don't need to know about the Demon world."

I looked up at him, a small frown on my face. "But I want to know more about you," I said earnestly.

Again, he looked at me in shock. I really hoped I wasn't pissing him off by asking all these things. However, the hand he was using to ruffle my hair fell through the strands to the back of my neck, cradling is gently. For someone who was so strong, he sure knew when to be soft...

He let out a sigh before undoing the dog tags around his neck and placing them around my own. "I'm warning you, my past is boring."

Sam gently wrapped his fingers around the dog tag and I watched as a dark green aura began surrounding both his hand and the dog tag. The aura wrapped around the necklace and my head, and before I knew it, I was being shown another vision.

I watched as the pig imp servant chased after Sam as he clutched a large basket of bread to his chest. I watched in awed amusement as he kicked the floor and shot the boulder that had come up so it would block the door. I'd only ever seen that done on TV!

I continued watching, feeling a bit bad for his friend. _So he had stolen the bread for him_ , I thought to myself. _That's so sweet... For someone so gruff and hardcore, Sam has such a soft heart..._

I gasped as the demon, Gaku, gifted Sam with the dog tag that was around my neck, saying that it may bring him closer to the human world. I smiled softly, seeing how Sam gazed at it as if it were more precious than gold. Watching him vanish it into some unknown void, I chuckled, knowing what would soon come.

However, I grew surprised as a green orb wrapped in faint purple energy floated into the room. "What do you want, mom?"

 _Mom?! That orb is his mother?! How even...?_

Sam seemed to listen for a moment before turning to it with an evil glare. "Yes, I stole bread and gave it to the commoner, alright? Don't judge me."

He seemed to listen once more before clicking his teeth and crossing his arms, looking pissed. "Yeah yeah, whatever..."

The orb then floated closer to him, brushing his cheek before gently floating away. Sam sighed, rolling his shoulder and looking at the ground. "I need to get out of here."

At that moment, the vision ended and I saw Sam take back his dog tag. I looked at him in gentle awe. "You stole food for your friend."

He shrugged, looking away. "I was a rebel breaking the rules. Noble demons aren't supposed to care about the commoner demons. Survival of the fittest and all that. We're supposed to let them die if they can't do anything to keep themselves alive." He paused gritting his teeth before sighing. "Whatever. I'm not there anymore. I'm here."

"Sam..."

"Look, I'm sorry. You and Serenity have done a lot for me and my brothers. Sheltering us, letting us stay living here... It may not seem like much, but for us, it means everything," he said. "Especially after everything that's happened to you two because of that Hell-spawn Malix. And now with Diana being crazy."

I shook my head. "As far as I know, she hasn't gotten to Serenity," I said. "I'm glad she hasn't, though. Since Serenity is with James, and he's the oldest, she might try getting him back since she was promised to him in the first place."

Sam looked at me in surprise, then grit his teeth before looking away. "Shit. We should've warned her..." He paused, then sighed as he looked back at me. "James can take care of her. You're the one who's my concern."

He gently placed his hand over my own, and I felt my heart beat wildly in my chest. He really cares... He realy, truly cares...

He then stood, stretching a bit before looking down at me. "Now, you get some sleep. I'll wake you up when dinner is done; until then, you need more rest."

He gently pushed me back onto my pillows, seeming a bit more at ease. However, I simply couldn't help myself. I quickly puled him closer to me, stealing a gentle kiss from him. I'd laid my hand against his cheek to keep him still. He seemed surprised, then kissed me back after a moments pause, caressing my own cheek and melting into our kiss.

A soft sigh escaped him before he slowly pulled away; I felt a sense of triumph when I saw the soft smile on his face. However, when he licked his lips, I felt my face heat up in a wild blush. A satisfied sigh left his lips as he stroked my hair.

"Sleep, doofus..."

I mentally giggled, laying back and relaxing into my pillow. _Gosh, he's cute..._

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((*Serenity P.o.V*))

I laughed at Matthew as he started in fright at the sight of a small white toy holding a knife. "Matthew, really, it's just a toy!" I chuckled. "Granted, he may be able to move and cause mischief and all that, but he seems harmless. Just a little playful."

He gaped at me in horrified shock. "Oh, not you too! Mika was all for keeping it as well! Do you two have a thing for creepy stuff?!"

I laughed once more, snorting a bit as James and Erik brought out dinner. "No! Geez, you goof..."

James smiled at me before cracking his neck. "Well, I may as well go find Mika and Sam. It's not like Sam to miss dinner."

Damien cleared his throat, a small blush on his cheeks. "Uh, you may want to just let them be..."

I looked at him in confusion, then let my jaw drop. "No!"

Damien grimaced a bit in embarrassment, nodding. "Yes."

I felt my face heat up in a bright blush, and the other three seemed to understand. "Oh... well then," said Erik, blinking in surprise.

Matthew was as bright a red as me, and James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He couldn't control himself long enough to let her eat? How rude..."

We then heard the faint sound of Mika crying Sam's name, and I thunked my head on the table. "I am not going to be able to look at her at all tomorrow..." I sighed. Turning towards the entryway into the dining room, I lifted my left hand and placed a muffle spell around it. "There..."

Everyone gave me a grateful smile, and we all began to eat. As I enjoyed the sushi Erik and James had prepared, a thought entered my head and I frowned.

 _My little cousin lost her V-card before me. No fair, darn it..._

I heard Damien choke slightly and looked up to see him trying to fight a smile as he glanced at me. I narrowed my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him. "Don't go poking in my head, brat..."

Damien laughed, and the others looked at us in confusion. Just as James opened his mouth, I held up my hand. "Don't ask," I sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: SMUT WARNING. MAJOR SMUT WARNING. Like, it's not going to be overly graphic, just enough to warrant a warning.

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Chapter 10

The next morning, I awoke to see a strange woman sitting in my room. I squeaked, pulling the blankets up to cover my naked chest. She only rolled her blood red eyes, smirking at me from behind the curtain of wavy brown hair that hung in front of half her face.

"It's nothing I've never seen before, dear," she said smoothly.

"Who are-? Wait," I paused, looking her over. "You must be Diana. What are you still doing here?"

She sighed, coming over to sit next to me on my bed. "If none of the boys are going to come back with me, I at least want the energy and power to fight the Demon Lord so I can protect my kingdom," she explained. "I took some energy from that cousin of yours. However, your energy is like a beacon. It crackles in the air so much that I'm surprised the boys don't all jump you at once."

I blushed brightly, looking away. "O-oh... w-well, then, I'm guessing you want some of my energy?" I asked, glancing at her.

"Well now, Raestrao was right: you are intelligent," she said smoothly, a grin on her lips.

I paused, then it clicked. "You overheard us in the garden didn't you?" I asked. "Why didn't you try taking him from me?"

"Oh, make no mistake, darling," she said, crossing her arms. "I wanted to. Very badly. However, I'm not completely heartless; I can see that you two care for each other deeply. Whether he, as a demon, is able to return your human love, however..." She trailed off, shrugging. "It doesn't matter. The other boys are adamant on staying in this realm, so I'm left with my plan B."

I nodded in understanding, giving her a tentative smile. "Alright. You can take some of my energy," I said. "But leave my powers and magic, okay? I need it to protect them all. I'm sure you can understand that."

She gave me a kind look in return, nodding. "Yes, I can. And don't worry, I'll leave your magic be. Now," she said, smirking sensually at me as she leaned forward, "let's have a taste of that amazing, virginal energy..."

She pressed her lips to mine as her enthrallment seemed to devour me, and I automatically felt the heat pool in my stomach. My thighs twitched and I whimpered in need, gripping the blankets on either side of me. After a few moments, she pulled back, licking her lips.

She glanced down at my bared chest, looking like she wanted to go further. "You know, I'm almost jealous of Raestrao," she said, chuckling. She stood, giving me a bow that showed off her cleavage. "Vale, my dear. Have a good life with him."

And with that, she sunk into the floor, disappearing.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realize I'd been holding. "...I guess that's it, then," I murmured.

I laid back down, then twitched when I still felt arousal running through me. I sighed, then looked at my door, checking to see if my wards and barriers were still in place. Some had been broken when Diana had apparently entered my room, but the barrier preventing Damien from hearing my thoughts and the sound shield were still in place.

I relaxed, then trailed my fingers down between my legs. I bit my lip as I felt how wet I was. _I wish James were here..._

At that thought, I felt myself grow even wetter, and I squirmed. I let my hands fall into the familiar rhythm of fingering myself as I stroked my clit, my eyes closed as I imagined it was James doing it to me. I whimpered, gasping for air as I came faster and stronger than I'd ever done before.

As I lay there panting, I heard a knock at my door. "Serenity? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready."

 _Speak of the demon and he shalt appear_ , I thought wryly. I stood on shaky legs, walking over to the door and opening it enough to poke my head out, keeping my nude form hidden.

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's on the menu this morning?" I asked brightly, trying to will my lingering blush away.

However, he seemed to be lost in another world. He stared at me with glazed eyes, then glanced around my head. I bit my lip, nervous. _Is he reading my energy...?_

Finally, he leaned closer, smirking as I looked up at him. "Well now... was there something in particular you... wanted, Serenity?"

I felt my mind shut down in panic. _He knows. Oh shit, he knows what I just did. Oh fuck._

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my dignity. "U-uh, no, not really," I answered primly. "I'll get some clothes on and head down once I'm dre-"

He cut me off with a deep kiss, one hand behind my neck, the other slightly pushing on the door. He pulled back, revealing a golden gaze. "Are you implying, my dear, that you have nothing on right now...?" he purred, stroking my jawline.

I opened my mouth to reply, but only a small squeak came out. He chuckled lowly, slightly pushing on the door. "I think I've changed my mind on what I want for breakfast this morning..." He trailed off, then succeeded in opening the door to reveal my naked form. He stepped inside and quickly shut and locked the door.

I shivered as goosebumps erupted on my flesh. His eyes roved over me like he was sizing up a sculpture. He growled lowly, his gaze meeting mine once again. "Yes, I've definitely changed my mind. I'd rather devour you instead."

I gasped, then felt the wind rush out of me as he suddenly picked me up. He laid me out on my bed, and I shuddered once more as he began stripping off his clothes. "Serenity, if you don't stop me now, I am going to take you," he purred. "I am going to make you scream my name until you can't speak, and you will not be able to think of anything whatsoever. I am going to make you keep your promise of submitting to me, and I assure you, you will love every single minute of it."

I trembled where I laid, clenching my fists as he removed the last of his clothes. I couldn't help but gasp as I saw his erect member. _Oh my... I really hope he fits..._

He chuckled, seeming to guess what I was thinking as he leaned over me. "Nervous, love?" I nodded a little, and he smiled gently. "Don't worry," he assured me. His smile turned sheepish, and he looked away. "It's my first time, too."

"No way," I said, surprised. "You're so... perfect, though."

He chuckled, caressing my side with one hand while he used the other to hold himself up. "I'm flattered, love... Now, where was I?"

I leaned down and kissed me deeply, the hand that hand been caressing my side moving up to cup my breast. He groaned into my mouth, breaking the kiss as he squeezed. "You have the most delectable chest I have ever seen," he growled, his voice beginning to gain a more demonic tone.

I blushed, arching up into his touch. I let out a small chuckle, smiling in embarrassment. "W-well, lucky for you... they're very sensitive."

The gold in his eyes brightened for a moment before he steadied himself on his legs, using both hands to caress and squeeze my breasts. "Oh really...?" Without breaking eye contact, he brushed over my nipples, making me draw in a sharp breath and quiver beneath him. A feral grin formed on his lips and he purred. "Mmm, indeed..."

He then surprised me by lowering his head to my left breast and quickly drawing the nipple into his mouth. I lightly convulsed beneath him, a soundless scream leaving my parted lips. I gasped, trying to catch my breath as I pressed my thighs together in an effort to quell the absolute heat that I was feeling there.

"G-god, Raestrao~!" I cried. "Ah!" I closed my eyes, covering my mouth so I wouldn't embarrass myself more than I already had.

However, that didn't seem to sit well with him, because a split second later, he had pinned my hands above my head, holding my wrists in one hand. His grip was firm, but not painful. I opened my eyes in shock, gaping like a fish.

"I want to hear every sound you make, Serenity," he growled softly. "I want to hear the sweet music you will make as I ravish you..."

I shivered beneath him, closing my eyes. The intense need I had for him at that moment felt so good that it became painful. I hadn't been lying when I'd said my breasts were sensitive. If he had continued playing with them, I would have finished right then and there.

I whimpered, looking up at him. "Please, Raestrao... I need you..."

The hand he was using to hold mine twitched, and all at once, his glamour spell faded away. Up close, his horns seemed to shine and sparkle as if they were truly made of gold, especially with the color they were. I wanted to touch them, to see what they felt like. Would they feel like goat horns, or something different?

"As my Lady wishes," he growled, his voice echoing throughout my room.

He used his free hand to position his erect member at my wet and wanting entrance, then seemed to stare deep into my soul as he slowly pushed inside.

"O-oh... fuuuuck!" I cried, fighting to keep my eyes open. The way he stretched me made me feel so full and complete, like we had been made for each other. When he had finally filled me to the brim, I felt him shudder above me.

"Christ... you are so warm," he murmured, his eyes fluttering closed. "Your energy is begging to be taken..."

I shivered, adjusting myself to his girth. Giving it an experimental squeeze with my lower muscles, I bit my lip. "...take it, then."

And that was all he needed.

We made love for hours, it seemed; all the while, he slowly but steadily drained my energy from me. He had taken me in half a dozen positions, making me cum each time. The seventh and final position he took me in, though, had me sitting up on me knees in front of him as he did the same behind me. He lifted my arms to wrap around his neck, his own going around my waist and chest to play with one of my breasts and my clit at the same time as he pounded into me.

What really made the difference, though, was that we were looking right into my large vanity mirror the whole time. I was intoxicated by the sight of his cock moving in and out of me, moaning at the sight of my wetness coating it. James was in a similar state, growling and grunting behind me as he kissed the side of my neck.

Finally, though, I came one last time, triggering his own finish. "R-RAESTRAO~!" I screamed helplessly.

He cried out as well before biting the part of my neck he had been kissing earlier. What was weird, though, was that I could feel something coming from him where his teeth sank into my flesh. It felt like a soft, electrical pulse.

"Mine," he growled when he lifted his teeth from my shoulder. He licked over the mark, purring in pleasure before nuzzling it.

I shivered, feeling woozy. "And you are mine," I breathed, closing my eyes. The exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I slumped in his hold, making him chuckle warmly.

"Come on; you need to rest," he whispered, pulling his softened member out of me.

I whimpered at the sensation; after finishing so many times, I was beyond sensitive at that moment. "I can't feel my legs or anything else," I mumbled. "...am I really awake right now...?"

James chuckled, laying me down and slipping under my covers beside me. His glamour spell was back in place again, and he nuzzled the place he had bitten once more. "Yes, you are awake. Though I do believe you need to sleep your weariness away."

I gave him a slightly loopy smile. "More like sleep off my 'well-fucked' expression," I corrected, giggling. I cuddled into his chiseled chest, closing my eyes and letting the darkness of sleep overtake me.

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When I finally woke up again, it was a little past lunch time. I had turned so James was spooning me from behind, giving me a good view of my clock: 1 pm sharp. I sighed, relaxing into James' arms around me.

 _If this is how things are going to be from now on, I so look forward to the rest of my life..._

However, a couple of knocks sounded on my door, waking James from his slumber. I giggled at his sleepy expression as he tried to gather his thoughts. The knocks came again and he sent a glare at the door. I dismantled the sound and thought barriers, sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.

"Who is it?" I called.

"It's me!" chirped Matthew from the other side, his voice slightly muffled. "You kinda overslept; you missed breakfast and lunch. I thought James was going to get you for breakfast, but he kinda disappeared..."

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh as I shared a grin with James. The man rose, cracking his neck and wrapping an arm around my waist. "It's fine, Matthew; I've been here since this morning," he called.

I heard nothing but silence from the other side of the door. After a few seconds, Matthew legit squealed. "OH MY GOD, YOU TWO DID IT!"

I facepalmed, shaking my head; I was torn between being embarrassed and amused. With a sigh, I replied, "Yes, Matthew, James and I did the horizontal tango. Now could you pleassse scoot so we can get dressed in peace?"

All I heard were loud peals of giggles and rushed footsteps that faded away. I gave James a look. "You had to tell him you were here, didn't you?"

James grinned, a predatory look in his eyes as he pulled me onto his lap. "I can't show off my beautiful queen?" he asked, nuzzling my neck.

I blushed, kissing his cheek. "You're incorrigible," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around him.

He chuckled. "I love you, too."

I rolled my eyes, giving him a sweet smile before rising. "We should get dressed, darlin'. I don't know about you, but I am literally starving," I admitted with a laugh.

James let out a small chuckle. "Hmmm, I don't know, I'm pretty full," he said coyly, getting up to gather his clothes.

As I dug through my undergarments, I couldn't help but sneak a peek at his backside. I quickly averted my gaze when he turned around; I didn't want him to catch me and tease me over it. I finished getting out a casual outfit and slipped it on, James assisting me with my white silk bra. Though he seemed more interested in having his hands replace my bra.

As I helped him button up his shirt, I sighed. "Bye bye, gorgeous abs," I whispered to myself.

James looked at me in question. "What was that?"

I blushed. "Nothing, nothing..."

He raised an eyebrow, but left it alone, which I was grateful for. Soon, we were out the door and heading down to the dining room. By the time we arrived, the other boys had disappeared, much to my relief. However, they were kind enough to leave a couple of plates of food for us. My stomach growled at the sight; they had either made or ordered pizza.

"Yum!" I chirped, plopping down into a chair before James could even blink. At his bemused expression, I blushed. "What? I'm hungry..."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he sat beside me. We both dug in, and I relaxed into my chair as we ate. When we were halfway done, I heard a faint 'thud' coming from the roof. I looked up in surprised concern.

"The heck was that?"

"Probably Sam or Matthew," sighed James. "They sometimes like to... perch themselves in high places."

I nuffled a giggle behind my hand. "You may them sound like birds!"

He smirked. "Well, they certainly act like silly geese enough."

I nearly choked on my own spit as I laughed louder. I placed a hand on the table to steady myself, placing the other on my stomach as I tried to breathe. It took me a few moments, but I calmed down enough to form one coherent sentence.

"Dear lord, James, you're sassy!"

He only shrugged, grinning at me. "Only as much as you are, Serenity."

I pretended to faint. "Oh heavens, save us now! One of me was bad enough, but two? Ye gads!"

James reached over and ruffled my hair before swiftly pulling me to sit across his lap. "You are so adorable."

I gave him a sweet smile. "I know!" I chirped. "Though I was much more cute as a child. All chubby cheeks and wide eyes; my hair was more curly back then, too. Grandpa used to tell me I looked like a china doll."

James nuzzled my cheek with his nose. "I'm sure you were the most beautiful little girl."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. "Oh, I was pretty darn adorbs. I think I may have some pictures somewhere; probably only my school ones, though." I paused, thinking for a bit before giggling.

"What is it, love?"

"Oh, nothing," I replied. "I just remembered what my sophomore picture in high school looked like. Dear lord, I still don't know how I convinced Grandpa to let me wear what I did..."

"Oh?" James looked up at me, raising a brow in curiosity. "Dare I ask what you wore?"

I flushed a delicate shade of pink, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well... I was kind of going through that stage where I was switching my personal style nearly every other week, and on picture day, I wore a dark blue gothic lolita dress and a cincher corset," I explained. "Like, no petticoats or anything, cuz those are a bit of a drag; it was a simple dress but no less pretty. I'd recently cut my hair, too."

He chuckled, rubbing my back. "I'm curious to see that photo if you have it."

I blushed darker. "I can do you one better... I actually still have the dress," I admitted in a low whisper.

"Really now?" he asked, his tone amused.

"Well... it is a pretty dress," I mumbled. "Plus I sometimes use it for parties and Halloween. It makes for a good doll or ghost child costume."

James only laughed softly before kissing my cheek tenderly. "You know," he murmured, "I will admit, life will not ever become boring when I'm with you."

I grinned, kissing his forehead. "I was thinking the same thing just yesterday..."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Two months went by pretty quickly, and Mika's graduation day was coming up soon. I was so proud of her for doing well in all of her classes; she was ranked in the top ten students of her class. I could tell Sam was proud of her, too. Apparently, she had inspired him enough to sign up for the police academy and become an officer of the law. When he had announced it at dinner one night, everyone congratulated him and we celebrated with a trip to Dairy Queen.

As I laid in bed three days before Mika's graduation, I sighed. "You know, dear," I said, tracing invisible shapes on James' chest and abs, "I want to do something nice and fun for Mika and the boys. A nice short summer vacation somewhere. What do you think?"

James hummed, turning over my words as he played with a strand of my hair. "I think that would be nice," he agreed. "Something to reward Mika for working hard, and to also give them, and us, a break from everything..."

I grinned. "You've only been CEO for a month, and you're already aching for a vacation, darling?"

Him and Mika had talked to my uncle a few weeks after the craziness went down. Mika had finally worked up the guts to tell him that she didn't want to be CEO, and that she wanted to find her own way in life. My uncle took it a little hard, but relented and understood. James had then offered to take the position, and with the help of some faked documents stating that James had graduated in the top five from Harvard Business College... Well, my uncle didn't need much more convincing after that.

"Not for a vacation, so to speak," James answered, breaking me out of my reverie. "I simply want to spoil my beautiful queen."

I blushed, lightly whacking his stomach. "Oh, hush, you... I know you want to give them all something as a gift as much as I do. We all deserve it, honestly."

He kissed the top of my head. "You're right about that. Now, did you have any specific location in mind?" he asked.

I thought for a moment, turning over to lay on my back beside him. "Hmm... well, there's Hawai'i... Florida... Brazil... Multiple possibilities, to be honest. The location is up to you. I just want to plan some fun activities for us all, no matter where we go."

"That's acceptable," he said, turning over and using a hand to hold his head up. "Hawai'i sounds lovely. I've heard it's quite beautiful this time of the year. Plus I would like to explore the forests there; they have the most lovely flora and fauna."

I giggled, booping his nose. "My big nerd. Alright, Hawai'i it is! I'll have to research some of the cool things there," I said, feeling excited already. "I always have wondered if I'd be able to get a tattoo done in the traditional way of the native people there. Their tattoo designs are deeply spiritual and intricate; works of pure art and beauty."

James chuckled. "Alright; though save that for the last day of the trip so that you are not in pain the whole time. Out of curiosity, where were you planning on having it?"

I smirked, giving him a coy glance. "Oh... you know... I was thinking maybe under my breasts; something that follows the contours of them and ends in a point above my belly button. Perhaps something aquatic..."

A low purr left his lips as he trailed his fingers over my stomach. "Hmmm, well then... Who am I to object?"

I giggled. "You really love my breasts, don't you?" I asked teasingly.

"How could I not?" he replied, cupping one of them in his hand. "They're perfect in every way... Soft, but firm... perfectly sized... They fill my hands completely and then some..."

I blushed at his words, beginning to squirm. "...stop teasing me and get over here..."

I pulled him on top of me, and no more plans were made for the rest of the night.

. . . . . . . . . .

On Mika's graduation day, I pulled on a soft green and pale yellow summer dress, James matching me slightly with a pale yellow tie and tan vest instead of his usual attire. As I pulled my hair up into a neat bun, he leaned down and kissed the spot on my neck that he would always bite.

I giggled, pinning some loose hairs into place. "You know, I've been wondering why you always bite me there when we make love, dear."

James began to gently massage my shoulders as he answered. "It's simply an instinct for incubi with their mates," he explained. "Normally, I wouldn't feel the primal need to do so if you were a normal human. However, because of the natural demon magic you have, my instincts respond to you as if you were a demon as well. I'm not sure if Sam and Mika are the same. Though," he amended with a sigh, "knowing Sam, he may just bite simply because he likes to."

I giggled, rising and turning to kiss him quickly. "Either way... I'm glad," I murmured. "I'm beyond glad that even your most instinctual self sees me as a mate."

He wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me closer. "Not just a mate, love. MY mate," he said, his eyes flashing gold for a moment.

I gently stroked his cheekbones, letting out a soft hum. "And you are mine."

Finally, all of us left to head to the high school. Mika had left earlier in the day to go back to my aunt and uncle's house to get ready. I think she wanted them to be with her for every important moment today; and putting on your cap and gown for the first time is beyond important.

When we arrived, James parked my Beetle next to Erik's fancy new car and quickly got out to open my door for me. "My lady," he said, holding out his hand.

I giggled, taking it. "Why thank you, dear sir."

We held hands as we walked, and as I gave a quick glance over to Sam, I saw that he had the widest grin I'd ever seen before on his face. I chuckled, bumping him with my elbow.

"Just think, when you complete the academy, Mika will me feeling the same thing you are right now," I teased. Then, I grew a little bit more serious. "I know that Mika's going to be looking for you when they all march back towards the school. You should stand by and give her a kiss when she passes. I know it'll make her feel even more amazing."

He seemed to consider my advice, then nodded. He bumped my chin with his fist, giving me a smirk. "Thanks, sis."

"No problem, bro," I replied.

We soon found our seats on the bleachers; it was kind of hard to miss my aunt waving franticaly at us. She hugged me tightly, then surprised the boys by hugging them all as well.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" she gushed. "My little girl is all grown up and graduating! Oh, dear me, where did the time go?"

I laughed, then went forward and gave my uncle a quick hug. "How are you holding up, Uncle David?"

He hesitated maybe two seconds before nodding. "I'm fine. I'm proud that Mika has done so well in her schooling. Did you assist her in signing up for classes in the fall?"

"Yes, I did. I actually helped her and Matthew both with that," I elaborated. "Sam going into the police academy made Matthew wanted to expand his education."

We settled into our seats, James sitting next to my uncle. "Mr. Anderson," he greeted politely.

"James," he replied, giving a small nod. "I trust you're doing well handling the responsibilities of CEO?"

James chuckled, putting an arm around my shoulders. "It can be harrowing at times, but nothing that is impossible to handle. I'm curently working on some concept designs for a new line of stuffed toys in honor of the late Mr. Anderson."

My uncle paused for a moment, his jaw clenching as a shadow passed over his eyes. "I see..." He trailed off, then composed himself. "I'm sure they will be a success, then."

Before anything more could be said, the graduation march began. I grinned, wiggling in my seat with excitement. As the students of Mika's class marched out and separated into their seats, I scanned the crowd in search of my cousin, Suzu, and Naomi. I spotted Suzu and Mika sitting only a couple rows apart, but Naomi was near the back. The ceremony began once everyone had taken their seats, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see my Aunt Laura already looking like she wanted to bawl. Sam also seemed a bit misty-eyed, but I wouldn't dream of calling his attention to that fact; he had his tough guy image to hold up, after all.

The principal, vice principal, and Mika's class advisor gave their speeches, and then it finaly came time for the diplomas to be handed out. My face hurt from grinning so much, though James was no better. He looked at Mika as a little sister, and was proud of her as well. All of the boys were.

When they finally called Mika's name, we all rose and cheered, clapping enthusiastically. Glancing at my uncle, I could see one singular tear going down his face as he smiled in a way that I hadn't seen since my mom and dad were alive. I was in a similar state, honestly; twin streams of tears fell from my eyes and and I felt myself practically vibrating in excitement.

As we sat back down, James chuckled and gently wiped my cheeks. "You have a bit of mascara on your face, love," he whispered in my ear. "Not that I mind, but I know you don't like mussing up your makeup."

I gave him a sheepish grin, wiping my face a little harder so as to get the stains off. I apparently didn't do a very good job, though, because James laughed slightly before taking out his handkerchief.

"You missed a couple spots, my queen." He used some of the leftover moisture from my tears to clean the rest of my face until it was spotless. When he finished, he kissed my forehead and wrapped an arm around my waist before turning his attention back to the student procession.

The boys and I cheered for Suzu and Naomi when they went up as well, though not as hard as we did for Mika. The boys had become friends with them and enjoyed the days when they would hang out with all of us at the mansion. When the last student had recieved their diploma, the principal stepped up to the microphone once more.

"I now present to you, the Class of 2015!"

Everyone rose and cheered as the students jumped up and tossed their caps into the air. Sam quickly excused himself to head to the bottom of the bleachers so he could kiss Mika as she walked by. As the student scurried around in attempt to find their caps, their class song began to play. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was 'Centuries' from Fall Out Boy. I chuckled, finding it very fitting for the occasion.

Soon, the students began to march in reverse order back to the school. When Mika finally got closer to the bleachers, I saw Sam reach out for her and hug her tightly before kissing her tenderly. I let out a dreamy sigh, feeling bubbly at the sight.

"Gahhh, they are so cute," I gushed, leaning into James.

I felt more than heard his laughter. "I will admit, I've never seen Sam so happy. Mika mellows him out perfectly."

My uncle 'hmph'-ed and glanced over at James. "I hope he plans on being honorable and asks to marry my daughter."

"I can say with utmost certainty that he is planning on doing so," James countered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "He is not one to do things half way; he may be rough around the edges, but he's a man of honor."

I nodded in agreement, and my uncle seemed a bit more at ease. Soon, all of the students had gone back to the school, and those of us in the bleachers rose so we could leave as well. Our rather large group took a little while to finally meet up with Mika, but we were able to find her by keeping an eye out for Naomi (that girl was part Amazon, I swear).

Upon seeing her, I rushed over and swept her up in a hug. "Ohhhh, my baby cousin is all grown up and an adult!" I gushed. "I'm so proud!"

I finally let her go, and James hugged her as well. "I am as well; you've done well, Mika."

She grinned wide, a light blush on her cheeks from all the excitement. More hugs were given by the other boys and my aunt and uncle. When we settled down a bit more, Erik rose a hand in the air.

"I believe this calls for a lovely night out for some dinner and dancing!" he proclaimed. "I know just the place; it's to die for."

All of us looked at my uncle, hoping he would agree. Seeing how all eyes were on him, he looked up at the sky in what seemed to be slight annoyance before he sighed and nodded. "Alright. But we are not staying out past midnight," he stipulated.

The rest of us cheered in both happiness and relief, and my aunt kissed his cheek in thanks. He smiled a little and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and then we all split up to head to our vehicles. Erik was leading in his car, I came up behind him, and then my uncle was behind me. We drove away from the school and towards downtown Chicago. The traffic was pretty thick, mostly due to other people having the same idea we did to celebrate graduation.

Finally, Erik parked in front of a relatively new-looking building. The neon was already lit, and the name Mysterioso flashed in the bright purple lettering. Intrigued, I got out with James right behind me; the others were looking up at it in aw and curiosity. I looked over at Erik, tilting my head slightly.

"This place looks new," I said.

"Yes, a new client of mine is the owner; she invited me to bring anyone I wanted as a treat," he replied with a smile. "Lovely woman; a shrewd business owner as well."

We filed inside, following Erik's lead. The sound of orchestral dupstep greeted our ears and I closed my eyes, humming in contentment. James kissed the side of my head and chuckled in my ear.

"I take it that you will want to dance after we finish eating?" he asked.

"Of course, darling," I replied with a bright grin.

Erik, meanwhile, was speaking to the host. He said something that made the poor man's eyes widen and nod vigorously. He stepped out from behind the podium and began leading us to our seats. I idly wondered just what had been said to garner such a reaction.

As we walked, I began to realize that we were definitely getting some damn good treatment. We went up a flight of stairs and ended up in a private dining area that overlooked the dancefloor and bar below. My eyebrows rose in surprise, and I turned my gaze to Erik, who sat diagonally to my left.

"Erik, just what kind of impression did you leave on your client?" I asked, chuckling. "This is some very high-level service."

The redhead only laughed in reply and gave me an amused grin. "My lovely client is very generous. I found out that she is from our birthplace, and she was full of nothing but excitement."

I fought the urge to gape like an idiot, and from what I could tell, everyone but my aunt and uncle were having similar reactions. Damien recovered before any of us though and looked calm, glancing at each of us as if to convey that there was nothing to worry about. I relaxed and grinned.

"That sounds wonderful!" my aunt intoned. "What a kind young lady."

The waiter came to our table and distributed menus, asking what we would prefer to drink. Since I wasn't quite 21 yet, I couldn't get anything alcoholic, so I asked for a Virgin Frozen Mudslide. Everyone else ordered and the waiter left to allow us to deliberate over food options.

"Darling, they serve kobe steak," James murmured in my ear as he perused his menu.

I lightly gasped and searched my own menu. "Really? Where? Oh gosh, I've been dying to get my hands on some of that."

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "Page seven, my queen."

Turning to it, I fought the urge to squeal. A full page of steak options was displayed before me and I was in heaven. "Oh, I am sooo going for the teriyaki kobe... It looks delicious."

Everyone else talked with each other in low voices, the atmosphere warm and homely. The music couldn't be heard from up where we sat; most likely due to sound-proofing in the walls and the thick glass. It was fine by me; at least it let me hear what everyone was saying.

After a few more minutes, the waiter came back and took our orders. We all spent the next half hour chatting and laughing; during that time, our drinks came and I sipped my chocolatey concoction delicately, enjoying the taste. Finally, our food came and I practically vibrated in excitement. I dug right in and I'm ashamed to admit I almost cried at the utter perfection that was filling my taste-buds. The rumours about how kobe was the best beef in the world were so true.

Once I finished eating, I saw that some of the others had finished as well, James included. Grinning, I took his hand.

"Care to go dance with me, love?" I asked.

He kissed my hand in response. "Of course, my queen."

The rest of the boys and Mika joined us as we made our way to the dance floor. The music was once again pounding in our heads and I let it flow through me. When we got to the dance floor, I let it all go and began to move with the beat. James stood behind me with his hands on my hips, following my movements. As more songs played, he began to take the lead more and I turned to face him with my arms around his neck.

"We should go dancing more often," he said in my ear.

I grinned wide and nodded excitedly, laughing. He returned my grin and twirled me in his arms before dipping me. I only laughed harder as he pulled me up.

The rest of the night went perfectly, and when midnight rolled around, my uncle rounded us all up and ushered us outside. The sounds outside seemed so much quieter than inside, so much so that my ears were ringing.

Mika hugged and kissed her parents goodbye and we went our separate ways. When we all arrived at the mansion, I took off my shoes and skipped inside with Mika right beside me doing the same. We laughed as we opened the doors.

"Sooo, Miss Graduate, make sure you do those little sound-proofing and mind-blocking spells I taught you, mmkay? Cuz I really don't want to hear yours and Sam's dirty talk again."

She had the sense of mind to blush bright red as she punched my shoulder. "Shut up, that was not my fault..."

I smirked and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Mhm, yeah right, whatever. Even still, I really didn't need to know that Sam howls like some kind of wolf when you spank him."

She turned even more red, and Damien muffled a laugh behind his hand as he walked past us. I chuckled, then schooled my expression to one of concern. "And think of poor Damien, Mika."

She only graoned and shoved my side, grabbing Sam and walking upstairs without another word. I erupted into uncontrollable giggles and walked into the kitchen. James followed me and gave my butt a gentle smack.

"You shouldn't tease her so badly, love," he gently admonished.

"I know, but her reactions are priceless. I can't help but tease her," I replied with a shrug. "But I'll try and ease up if you think they deserve a break."

He nodded and gave me a gentle kiss. "Good."

I smiled and searched through the cupboards, looking for something to munch on before bed. James chuckled. "Still hungry?"

"Well, I burned off dinner while we were dancing," I replied. "I've got the munchies. I'm just looking for some crackers or something light."

He only chuckled, letting me search further. Finally, I found a snack-sized sleeve of Ritz. Holding up with a small sound of triumph, I grabbed his hand and brought him upstairs.

. . . . . . . .

A couple of weeks later, while we were cleaning up dinner, I cleared my throat and shared a glance with James.

"So, who wants to go to the beach?" I asked casually.

"Huh? You mean the lake, right?" Mika asked, her nose wrinkling slightly in confusion.

"No, Mika, we mean the beach," James clarified.

"Whoo! We haven't gone to the beach in ages! Can we go now?" asked Matthew, practically vibrating in excitement.

"Which one are we going to?" Erik inquired as he picked up a few plates.

"Guys?" Mika said quietly; however, Sam spoke right after, not giving anyone a chance to answer her.

"Do we have to? I got shit to do, you know," groused Sam. Granted, he did have to study up on some preliminary stuff for the academy entrance tests.

Damien gave him a slighly taunting grin. "You want a vacation too, Sam..."

"Get outta my head!"

"Guys!"

We all looked at Mika, and I had to bite back a grin at her annoyed expression; my little cousin was too cute when she was mad.

"Yes, Mika?" I asked.

"We have a lake, not a beach," she said. "Where is the beach idea coming from?"

James and I both grinned, putting our arms around each others waist. "Weeeell... I got to thinking that we all deserved a treat of sorts," I started.

"We're suggesting a trip out of state to an actual beach," James finished.

"Wait, what?" Mika blinked in shock. "How would we get there?"

"Serenity and I have a jet scheduled for a non-stop flight," James replied. "Hawai'i is lovely this time of year, and the weather tomorrow is going to be perfect."

I giggled at Mika's dumbfounded expression. "Come on, girly, you know you wanna go! Might take awhile, but the jet has stuff to do. And also movies."

"We can always sleep on the flight, too," Matthew added, shrugging.

Mika seemed to get over her shock slightly. "When do we even leave?!"

I shrugged and looked at my nails. "Oh... seven in the morning..."

"Excellent! I'll pack some food for us," chirped Erik, clapping his hands together and rubbing them.

"WHOO! Man, I gotta find my swim trunks!" cheered Matthew.

"I'll pack the sunscreen; this will be fun!" Damien enthused quietly.

"Guess we're really doing this, huh?" Sam asked. He sighed, shaking his head a bit. "Dammit. Fine. Whatever." Then, he thought for a moment before smirking and leaning down to whisper something in Mika's ear. She blushed bright red and whacked his arm.

"Pervert," she mumbled.

I laughed, then let go of James' waist to clap my hands together and call attention. "Alrighty! Let's all get packed up! Everyone has to be up and at 'em tomorrow morning between four-thirty and five. Bring enough clothes to last four days, and then grab a few extra sets just in case. James and I already siphoned some funds for each of us to use on the trip into everyone's accounts. Chop chop, everyone! We're going to the land of volcanoes, hula, and Polynesian culture!"

Everyone quickly split off to go and pack their things, James and I included. We flew all over our room trying to get everything in order; we had one large suitcase each open on our bed. I simply tossed in whatever I thought I would need, whereas James took more care to pack in a more orderly fashion. I couldn't decide between two bathing suits, so I packed both. James was about to put his extra pair of glasses into his suitcase, but I stopped him.

"Nuh-uh, you're gonna leave the glasses," I said.

He raised a brow, giving me an amused smirk. "I am, am I?"

"Mhm. The wind could lift up sand and scratch the lenses, plus it seems troublesome to constantly take them off and put them on when we're going to be swimming," I explained.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll concede to that. Very well."

I grinned and gave him a big kiss before going back to packing my things.

The next morning, we rolled out of the mansion at 6am and drove to a private airport. By 7, we were taking off and heading to Hawai'i. Mika fell asleep an hour after we took off, her head resting on Sam's muscular shoulder. He would smile gently down at her sleeping form every time he looked at her. James and I stayed awake the whole time, wanting to make sure the flight went smoothly. We listened to music, watched a couple of movies, and played a round of Cards Against Humanity with Matthew and Sam. Erik and Damien dozed in and out, but mostly watched us play.

When we were almost there, I sighed as I played my card. "I am a terrible human being."

James raised a brow, but shrugged and set down his own card. Matthew set down his and Sam, who was the card czar, lifted them all and nearly choked.

"WHO HAD THE DAMN MASTURBATION CARD?!"

Matthew looked at James, and then James looked at me. I groaned and put my head in my hand. "I told you, I am a terrible human being... but gods, it was so damn tempting, I couldn't resist."

Matthew muffled giggles behind his hand and Sam handed me the black card, shaking his head with a smirk. "Mika has it wrong; I think the real pervert in the family is you."

"Shut up..."

The copilot poked his head back and let us know that we were landing soon. Picking up the game, we made sure everything was put away and buckled up.

"Thank you, Robert," James said. "Are you able to radio ahead to have a large taxi ready for us when we arrive?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Anderson."

"Very good, thank you," James replied.

Fifteen minutes later, we landed at the airfield. Sam woke up Mika and we all got off the jet and into the taxi that Robert had procured for us. As we drove towards the sandy beaches of Honolulu, I rolled down the window and breathed in the tropical breeze.

"Ah, this is so exciting!" I chirped. "Never been here before! Grampa took Mika and I to Disneyland once, but that doesn't compare to this!"

Matthew nodded, lightly punching my shoulder. "Hell yeah! It's so pretty!"

"Where's our hotel again?" asked Erik.

"Serenity found one right near the beach at a decent price," answered James. "We'll be stopping there first to check in and get ready before we head out to the water."

Everyone nodded and we enjoyed the rest of the ride in relative silence. I would snap a picture every now and again with my phone, wanting to have a bunch of stuff to show Naomi and Suzu when we got back home. I saw Mika doing the same, though she was more discerning about what she captured on film.

When we arrived at the hotel, a couple of employees helped unload our suitcases and sent them up to our rooms as we checked in. When James and I got to our room, I grinned at the amazing view of the sea we had from our balcony. Quickly, I grabbed my suitcase and flung it open, digging for my bathing suit. Spotting the berry-colored spandex, I pulled both pieces out with a small sound of triumph.

James and I got our bathing suits on, and I grabbed my pale yellow, see-through sarong and threw it around my shoulders. James packed up our beach supplies in a reusable bag and put an arm around my waist as we left the room. We met everyone downstairs in the lobby and headed out the rear entrance, which led right out onto the sand after 25 feet of grass.

Matthew took a deep breath in appreciation. "Pheew! Look at that view!"

"Wow... that looks so beautiful..." Damien was looking around him in absolute aw.

"I know, right?" I enthused. "The view we have from our balcony is beyond perfect, but this is still way better."

"It's just the beach," Sam said with a roll of his eyes.

Mika elbowed him in his side. "Hey, a real beach like this is a rare treat for a couple of city girls like Serenity and I. All we have in Chicago is a crappy, poluted lake."

James cleared his throat to call attention. "Let's set up a spot to relax first before we enjoy ourselves."

We all nodded, then settled on a spot on the shoreline facing out towards the water with a couple of palm trees nearby to give us shade if we should need it (even though we did bring an umbrella). I had suggested bringing a large blanket to use as a seating area, and it was a good call on my part. It would leave all of our towels free to use for drying off. Laying the purple and blue blanket out on the sand, we settled in and took in the sea air.

Sam laid down, stretching out as he let out a long, tired yawn. With a smirk on his face, he looked around at all of us. "Man, how long do we plan on being out here? We're not gonna splash and run around, are we?"

Erik rolled his eyes. "What else do you do at a beach? Really Sam, show some intelligence..."

Sam growled and was about to say something, but Mika laid a hand on his stomach and started tickling him. He choked out a laugh and tried to get away from her devious fingers, but it was all in vain. Mika laughed as well and made a quick escape. He chased after her and I chuckled, shaking my head at how silly they were. Damien and Matthew left to get some ice cream, and Erik joined James and I on the blanket.

I watched him as he pulled out a book, and I let a small smile form on my face. Erik stood, a small smirk on his face.

"If you two will excuse me, I see some lovely ladies who look like they're in need of some company," he said, his gaze stuck on a couple of local girls.

I let out a laugh and waved him off, James softly sighing beside me. When I glanced at him, he had a small smile on his face, even though he looked a little exasperated. Erik gave us a grin and a wink before lightly jogging over to the girls.

I gave my gorgeous demon a broad smile. "So, it's just us now, huh?"

"It would seem so," he replied with a small laugh. "After I finish a few chapters, we can head into the water. I started this awhile ago and haven't gotten the chance to finish it. I figured I'd bring it along and make as much of a dent as I can while I have unlimited free time."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I getcha. You've been having a lot of late nights," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. "I've been getting worried, to be honest. That's a big reason why I suggested a vacation: to give you a break to breathe and relax. Aside from the other reasons I gave before, of course."

James kissed the top of my head before turning his gaze back to his book. "Thank you, love. Even as a demon, being the head of a business as large as your late grandfather's is daunting at times."

We sat in a companionable silence for a little while, watching the others have fun. Mika and Sam had grabbed a couple of surfboards from the rental shop and were out on the water, Erik was still chatting up the girls and looked like he was charming them completely, and Damien and Matthew had finished their ice cream and were now building a sandcastle. It was nice to see them all having fun, and the scenery and atmosphere only made it even better.

Finally, after about a half hour, James put away his book. "Shall we go swim, my queen?" he asked with a soft smile.

I jumped up and threw down my sarong, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. "Of course! Let's go!"

James ran with me into the water. I let out a small squeal at the temperature, but I quickly adjusted and started splashing around like a little kid. I let out loud peals of laughter, twirling around in the water. When I looked at James, I caught him staring at me with a gentle, loving expression. Taking his hand once more, I kissed his cheek.

"Isn't it beautiful here?" I asked. "The ocean is literally sparkling, and the scenery is so colorful..."

James nodded, taking his free hand and cupping my cheek. "It is... but it's nothing compared to your beauty."

I blushed bright red, glancing down and grinning like a fool. He chuckled and pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss. When he pulled away, his lips still brushed mine.

Letting out a dreamy sigh, I whispered, "I love you, Raestrao..."

His eyes flashed gold for a split second, then he kissed me again. "I love you too, Serenity... my queen."

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A/N: Sorry I took so long to update this, guys. Been a lot going on and I also took some time to get back to my Ouran fic. However, I'm back in the mood for writing more on this one! To answer the question that you all might have, YES I will be covering the events of Seduce Me 2: The Demon War. I was able to buy it a few months ago and BOIIII HOWDY. It's so damn good. Michaela Laws is a gift and must be protected, I stg.


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